My seven year old, Judah, asks me for the weather forecast each morning before he picks out his clothes. The funny thing is, he will wear shorts and a t-shirt year round. Jude doesn’t feel cold, we say. Now and then he might be convinced to pack a jacket and on rare occasions to actually put it on. This is not a battle I’m interested in winning. It’s a low stakes lesson in natural consequences for him.
This skinny kid with goosebumps becomes a picture for me of the audacity of faith. In Christ’s strength we can do all things. We can learn the secret of being content in all circumstances (Philippians 4). We see the weather; we feel the effects of the world and of sin. But these forces do not reach the heart of one who belongs to Christ. Weather patterns shift, but the Father of Lights never changes (James 1). Our identity as God’s children is not subject to the temperature of our skin or the wages of our sin.
Judah knows who he is. He is a guy ready for a basketball game to break out at any moment. He is a kid interested in the forecast, but will not let the weather determine how he presents himself to the day. Would that his father could live by a steady internal temperature of trust in Christ. Thanks be to God that the risen Jesus isn’t taking temperatures, but warmly providing his peace, grace and mercy.
Peace,
Pr.Tom