Winter Coats

When I peeked out of the patio window first thing this morning, the temperature gauge hanging on the post of the patio cover read in the low forties.  A little while later when I checked the local weather forecast, I noticed that it was predicting afternoon highs in the low nineties.  We have moved into the fall weather pattern where our daily temperatures can easily travel 45 or more degrees throughout the course of the day.  I was tempted to turn on the heater this morning, but opted for a sweater and a hot cup of coffee instead, since I didn't want the house to retain the heat after the outside temperatures rose.

Those activities this morning reminded me of the wonderful winter work coat that my Mom purchased for me during the first winter we were in Oklahoma.  Being from the temperate climate of northern California did not prepare me for the cold that we were about to experience in Tulsa.  During our first Thanksgiving away, I vividly remember bragging to all the relatives as they passed the phone around the room during their holiday gatherings about how we were all wearing our shorts and enjoying the warmth in our new surroundings.  Well, the joke was on me, for exactly a week later we had about six inches of snow on the ground!

During that first day I was off from work and the school was closed due to the road conditions.  Therefore it was all fun and games as we romped around in the snow for most of the day.  Reality hit on Friday when I had to return to work and be outside selling Christmas trees to the hordes of holiday customers.  I quickly came to realize that my multiple sweaters and thin California work coat was not going to make the grade!

I must have complained about that during one of my regular phone calls to the folks back home because within a few days a letter from my Mom arrived with a check to be used for a new winter work coat!  What can I say?  I was quite elated about the opportunity!  Money was a little tight right then since my wife and son had not yet been able to find employment and I had therefore thought it to be too much of a luxury to buy myself a new work coat out of my meager salary.  Therefore I jumped at the gift and immediately purchased a “Big Smith” cold weather work jacket complete with a lined hood, from the new collection of insulated work clothes that we sold in our hardware department at my Home Depot store.

Throughout the next three years, that coat became a super blessing!  Through those winter winds that blew in from the north that seemed to go right through you, through the blizzards, thunderstorms, tornado warnings and even the frozen insides of the tractor trailers from which we unloaded the deliveries of Christmas trees, that coat kept me warm and cozy… Except for that one Friday evening where management had a co-worker and myself breaking up the thick layer of ice on the entrance to the Garden Department in preparation for the weekend’s holiday sales.  If I remember correctly, the temperature was hovering at around 12 degrees with those icy north winds causing a wind-chill factor in the negative numbers!  It took me awhile to thaw out that night!

My point in all this, is that having that right coat for the right conditions can make all the difference to one’s well being at any given time!  Joseph in the Old Testament had the coat of many colors that symbolized his favor with his father.  Today Christians have the coat of Christ that not only symbolizes our favor with our heavenly Father, but it also covers and protects us as we go through the various seasons in our lives.  Ephesians 1:3 says: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (NKJV)  Romans 8:1 declares that “there is therefore now no condemnation for those which are in Christ Jesus.” (KJV)

There are numerous scriptures in the Bible that tell us about all that is ours “in Christ.”  Check it out and you will see that no matter what your situation, no matter what the weather is - physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally or even financially – that God has the right coat to help keep you safe and secure “in Christ!”  I wore that “Big Smith” coat so much at work in Oklahoma that I finally broke the zipper.  Now it hangs in my closet just awaiting for me to take it down to a tailor to get the zipper replaced!  The nice thing about God’s coat is that it never gets damaged, but is always ready, in any circumstance for you!

Think about that next time you put on your winter coat this year.  Remember His coat and His love that is always there for you!  Have a good day.  Stay in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting TO WEAR today?”