When Cold Blasts Come

Dear Bethesda family,

There’s nothing like a blast of cold air to get our attention!

Whether you’re a native Floridian or your blood has thinned over time, we grow accustomed to our sub-tropical winters. Yet even here, the cold blasts of life do come – in both physical and spiritual forms.

In the spirit-life, cold blasts can be painful. We may experience a difficult change in circumstances, a troubling diagnosis, or the death of a loved one. Other times blasts are bracing and fun, like an unexpected opportunity or a new, life-giving relationship. In any case, dramatic spiritual temperature changes demand a response.

Physical cold blasts prompt us to haul out woolen scarves, drink lots of hot coffee, and huddle together. In spiritual temperature changes, we can wrap ourselves in the comforting presence of the Holy Spirit. We return to the stabilizing truth of Scripture. We draw close to our loving brothers and sisters in Christ.

Perhaps you’re facing a spiritual temperature change today, be it bracing or painful; something that’s gotten your attention in a new, immediate way. If so, won’t you invite Jesus into the very center of that blast? Nothing takes Christ by surprise, not even freezing temperatures in sunny South Florida! Ask him to shape, guide and strengthen you, in and through the change. He is well-prepared to see us through the unexpected turns of life, and longs to do so. It’s how we stay warm in God’s Spirit, even in plummeting temperatures.

Warm regards,

The Rev. Susan R. Beebe+