BOOT CAMP
I like the winter. I have to because I'm Canadian. All Canadians take an oath to at least state in mixed company (non-Canadian), their love for winter. Behind closed doors, in strictly Canadian company, under the glow of the Northern Lights, we can complain about the length, height, depths and darkness of the winter experience-but this is not the time or place for such things.
This winter has been very strange. It's been extremely warm and noticeably lacking in the white stuff. The first storm of the year was about a week ago. Imagine! I am happy to report that even after a week, the snow is still sticking to the ground. I figure if you are going to have winter, you might as well have it with snow, and then you have something to contrast with the brown and grey tones.
Yesterday, I was out for my walk and I came across no less then one hat, one coat, and, strangest of all, one winter boot. They weren't all in one place, nor where they, I believe, from the same source, and yet, there they were.
Now my own winter experiences have been filled with times of great personal loss. I've lost enough hats and gloves to outfit a baseball team! If it wasn't for the sheer embarrassment of having strings on my mitts, and the unbearable pain of stapling my hat to my head, I would have seriously contemplated both of these solutions years ago.
As I write this, it has just occurred to me that Velcro might work, especially with the ever-widening bald spot on my head. Technology just may be the answer to my winter where-did-it-goes!
I mention my losses just to help you understand that seeing a black toque discarded in the gringee snow beside the sidewalk is no stretch for me to comprehend. Such a sight doesn't make me dial 9-1-1, or suspect foul play.It most likely fell from a pocket. And, seeing a winter coat hanging on a fence beside a playground, while a little more disturbing, is still easily explainable. I can imagine a boy running around in the playground on a fairly warm day and getting too hot for his coat, so he took it off and then forgot it when he went home. If I had a dollar for every time my boys have left their coats behind somewhere, I'd be a rich man, even with the state of the Canadian dollar these days!
But, what about the winter boot? I saw this on the edge of a park, stuck in the snow. There was just one boot, with no sock keeping it company. Now, obviously one would imagine that if a boot came off one's foot, one would notice, right? I mean, snow on the toes is a no-no, non? Perhaps someone was carrying the boots and then they dropped one? Maybe a one legged pedestrian lost the boot off his prosthesis? It might even be that a sleeping child was being carried by their parents and the boot came off in transit. I guess there are explanations, but still, I found it odd and a little unsettling. A single boot found in the midst of a sea of snow just doesn't go, you know? The thought that immediately comes to mind when one sees such a thing is, "Someone needs that!" It's hard to see a misplaced moccasin, at this time of year, without shivering a bit.
Winter is a harsh season. Words like blustery, bitter, blowing, and freezing suggest the seriousness of a season that can quite literally kill-if one isn't prepared to battle the elements with the proper weapons of warmth and protection. In the last couple of weeks we've had a few days of fidget temperatures. One night was cold enough to send social workers out into the frost to try and persuade some of the street people to sleep in the city's shelters. Every year people die of exposure-slowly, sleepily, quietly, their bodies are invaded by the cold that surrounds them.
OK, now let's make the application. It's crazy to walk around on a particularly frosty night, with a bare head, no coat and one bare foot. After all, it only takes a few minutes for frostbite to sink its teeth in a person. To venture into hostile territory, you need the right protection.
Paul, in Ephesians 6:10,11 says, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." Notice that our strength to stand comes from the Lord, as does the armour. It's sad to say, but I've seen many people walking around in the cold, biting camp of the enemy, with little or no protection from exposure. You can spot such ill-prepared people by their words: "Don't worry about me, I can handle it." "I don't need any help" "I can stand on my own two feet." "It will never happen to me!"
Regardless of the time of year, this world is a very cold, biting place. It's not the kind of environment you want to walk around in with your soul exposed to the elements. We all need the strength and protection that only comes through depending on Jesus. Let's all make sure that we are clothed with Christ (Gal3:27)! Hear these wise words uttered by millions of mothers throughout the years, "Cover up before you go out. You don't want to catch your death out there!"
If you have comments, or would like to talk, just click on my name at the bottom of this page and I promise to write back.
