Facing the Cold Together

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. (2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NIV)

Cozy, 2020

Compressed graphite on watercolor paper

18” x 24”

Our kitties, Tucker and Dale, were born in the summertime. Because they were summer babies they’ve never known cold and, up until recently, they had never seen snow. The weather here has become decidedly winter-like (made evident by the random snow storm) and temperatures can fluctuate quite dramatically in the span of a few hours. For Tucker and Dale this change must be shocking. Every day of “fall” is the coldest day they’ve ever experienced in their entire little lives. 

I often wonder what my kitties think about during their day. Where do their little kitty thoughts wander while they romp around the “back 40”? The dramatic shift in our weather has made me consider this a lot this past week. Tucker and Dale don’t have my benefit of time and experience. There is no way for them to know that seasons are “seasonal” and that all this cold and darkness is only temporary. 

Ok, perhaps my cats aren’t that deep and I’m giving them way too much credit. However, once the idea popped into my head, I couldn’t help but recognize the parallels in myself and the current events. Figuratively speaking, this is a cold and dark season which is without precedent in modern memory. We have never experienced anything like this before and it feels as though it will last forever! But the cultural climate we are experiencing right now is just that - a season. 

My perspective, like the kitties, is limited in the grand scheme of things. This is especially true when one considers God’s view. God is omniscient (all knowing), omnipresent (everywhere) and He is beyond time. To say God’s perspective is “higher” than ours is an understatement. He not only knew this “season” would come, He knows what will happen after. Though we may not see it or understand it, God has a plan for us in this season and He will use even these dark times for good.

There is one thing that Tucker and Dale do possess in their literal cold season and that is each other. Before we even set out to get a barn cat, the decision was already made that we should get two kittens (specifically two litter-mates). The idea was that if we brought home two siblings they would always have someone to play with and they would never get lonely. We also knew that when the cold came (and we knew that it would) our kitties would be able to snuggle together and keep each other warm. Do you see where my mind is going with this? God did not create Man in isolation. He did not stop with just one person and say: “ok, that looks good.” In fact, Genesis tells us that when God made Adam He looked at him and said, “It is not good for the man to be alone…” (Genesis 2:18 NIV). God created people (plural) so that we wouldn’t get lonely, yes, but also so that when the challenging seasons came (and He knew that they would) we would be able to comfort one another. Before any cold ever came, God made a way for us to stay “warm.”

The only problem is that we have to choose to participate (that whole pesky free-will thing). We must choose to put ourselves in positions and situations where our siblings in Christ can comfort us and we can comfort them. In order to receive comfort from other people you have to be willing to interact with other people. These people should be those who will encourage you, people who will pray with you, friends who will lift you up and point you towards hope. We too should seek out opportunities to provide this spiritual support for our brothers and sisters who are hurting, striving to offer comfort as well as receive it. This all sounds nice and warm and fuzzy but if you have social anxiety or have been alone for an extended period of time the idea of putting yourself in social situations can be scary. If that is you, please remember - what you are accustomed to and what is good for you are not necessarily the same thing. God has comfort waiting just for you. You are loved and you do not have to face this cold alone.

P.S. If you feel all alone right now and don’t know where to look for a friend, I would be honored to pray for you and call you my friend. :)