A season of warmth is upon us.

A time of harvest, warm cider, glowing candles, fresh pies, and the comfort of fuzzy socks. As we bring in all that we accomplished for the year, we set up to hunker down in a season of celebration. 

We look forward to these things with hopes placed in the promises fulfilled in all our preparation in prior seasons and promises made from our Heavenly Father. Well-rounded fruitfulness comes pouring through, filling in the gaps that may let in a draft that will try to snuff out our celebratory fires.

Then there are some of us who stand in those gaps taking on those drafts alone. Our bodies don’t contain the warmth of thoughtfully knitted wool socks or a well stocked supply of fire wood. Our cupboards may be nearly bare and our lights are quite dim. Worst of all, our spirits are cold with no hope in sight.

How do we have abundance in one hand and poverty in the other? We could blame society or what some people call karma. Most often we don’t blame self, but we may lean in to blame God. It’s easy to glorify him when we live on the heated side of the street and then kick rocks in the face of faith when we find ourselves on the dirty side coveting the light from afar.

We forget truth when we’re living on either side. I have found myself in places where the old lady sitting next to me who smells of a month old bath who has nothing but blessings pouring from her mouth. Explaining how life has been difficult, she glorifies the Lord with all that she has. The flip side falls on wealthy neighbors who waste so much on material objects tossing obscenities at the Lord when their too much lifestyles have gone awry because they don’t have the newest things.  Comfort levels of these two are on different planes, yet the mindset of the meek holds true warmth.

I have been living with some uncertainty for a few months now.

It has become exhausting and frustrating. What I have thought were open doors have been slammed shut by the Lord. I have had to hit restart and search for the truth in the experiences that He is guiding us through.

Do I want to give up at times? It has crossed my mind, but I don’t think that’s a viable option. Should I praise the Lord more through it? I probably should.  Do I blame anyone for the messes along the way? I could, but it’s just the darkness trying to bend our minds towards an alternative mindset.

What’s left is praise and thanksgiving. What we hold on to is the comfort of the Lord.  When we are done with our season, our experiences will become part of our testimonies and be used to comfort others.

Isaiah 41:10 ESV