One of the greatest and worst attributes of Indiana is that it's weather never stays the same. Everyone who has ever lived in Indiana has heard the phrase, "If you don't like the weather, wait a while and it will change." This has been especially true of this fall so far. We have had days in the thirties and days in the eighties all in the same week. We had snow tonight and we will have temperatures of sixty-five degrees this coming Monday. We have had days that start out freezing and become perfectly pleasant t-shirt weather and days that start out perfectly pleasant and end up frigid and windy.
Most of my job involves working outside and I have to admit that I am having trouble acclimating to the constant weather changes. My sinuses and my ears have been all messed up. I have been getting headaches from the weather changes also. All of this is compounded by the fact that, even on the coldest of days, I have to walk into the house where I work and shed layers of clothing or I will be burning up because the average temperature of the house where I work is 75 degrees. It is such a funny sight to see coworkers quickly walking to the house in essentially summer clothing even when it is freezing cold outside.
Have you ever struggled with your Christian walk feeling like this? Sometimes you are passionate for the Word and resting in the Lord and other times you feel far from Jesus. These mountains and valleys or hot and cold moments can make a walk so difficult. I don't know about you but I struggle much more in these times than I do when I have a consistent daily walk with Jesus. When I am disciplined and spend time in the Word, speaking to the Lord, and relying on Him throughout my day, week, and month, I find that I am much more at peace and centered in who I am in Christ. This is not so when I have a day of intense prayer and devotion followed by a week of nothing.
Our walks in Christ and outward witness should not appear to the world as Indiana does with weather. What I mean by this is that the world should not expect that how we are acting or who we are will change in the next few moments. We should be consistent in Christ. We should walk a life full of love, grace, faithfulness, peace, and self control. Our walks should model a daily walk with Christ that is unhindered by the ebb and flow of the world. We have to be so careful to make sure that we are not letting each little life crisis pull us away from our daily walk with Christ.
Through reading the Bible, spending time growing in Christ through small groups, regular church attendance, constant prayer, and complete faithfulness to Christ, we will be able to weather the ups and downs and heat waves and cold snaps of the world. I have been working to be more consistent in Christ through following a daily bible reading plan. I am trying to store up the words of the Bible in my heart for those times of fluctuation. I am trying to drop to my knees in prayer when I encounter daily struggles. I am trying to build strong Christian relationships to help give me strength in my time of struggles. I still have a long way to go but one step is still one step. I hope you will work to draw closer to Jesus on a daily and consistent basis also. May Jesus help to protect and uplift you in all you encounters each day.
Blessings,
Greg
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