I have a morning routine I follow most days when I wake up. I get dressed, pretty myself up, and head down stairs to make coffee. I use a pour-over method, so it takes a while for me to get through the whole process. In between pouring the water into the grounds and waiting for it to filter into the carafe, I pull up the weather app on my phone. I want to know what to expect as I step out into the great outdoors of Seymour, Indiana. This time of year, it is really anyone’s guess as to what one might see when the app finally registers the information for the week.
The weather this time of year is about as unpredictable as a toddler at bedtime. I enjoy all of the various seasons, but I would prefer to not experience them all in a two-week period, let alone in one day. This is the reality of weather trends in Indiana in late winter. It can be pouring snow and ice with temperatures in the 20’s or 30’s one day and two short days later temperatures might be 80. On some days, we might actually see a 30-degree shift in temperature in that 24-hour cycle.
It’s extremely difficult to properly prepare for the day when all four seasons plan to make an appearance. Over the years, I have learned to dress in layers. It’s not uncommon for me to wear a t-shirt, followed by a flannel, followed by a hooded sweatshirt, followed by a winter coat. Granted, I am predisposed towards feeling chilly, so I go a bit overboard. But all of these layers allow me to adapt and adjust as the weather shifts throughout the day. Proper preparation prevents poor performance, or in this case, hypothermia!
All of the recent craziness in our weather and the requisite preparation that goes along with it reminds of the words of Paul to Timothy in II Timothy 4:2. Paul writes, “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction.” According to Paul, we always need to be prepared to share the truth of Jesus Christ with the world around us. Whether we expect opportunities to arise or not, they will come and, in those moments, we need to be ready to preach.
The truth of God’s Word has value beyond Sundays and Wednesdays. It is the Word of God for the people of God, but it also is the Word of God for the world. Paul points out different layers of benefit it provides. It gives us a means of correcting the lives we live, the standard through which we can see and call out sin or wrong-doing, and the source of hope to encourage one another. Those represent vastly different circumstances and the truth of God’s Word provides what we need to speak life in all of them. We need to be ready, whatever the circumstance or season might be, to inject the truth of God’s Word into the world in which we live.
