"And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink,
neither be ye of doubtful mind.  For all these things
do the nations of the world seek after:  and your Father
knoweth that ye have need of these things.  But rather
seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things
shall be added unto you." - Luke 12:29-31

So God was teaching me about living the Christian life.  And I guess at this point I was kind of like Pharaoh, the first plague had come and gone.  I had made it through it without too much trouble.  Little did I know that the second plague was about to hit my life.

Without a doubt, the longest, coldest winter ever recorded hit my hometown.  The temperature stayed below freezing for days.  It was bitterly cold that year.  But, the cold itself wasn't the plague.

My parents had gotten into financial trouble.  In fact, so much so that we were basically penniless.  We barely had enough money to pay our rent and put a few groceries on the table.  What happened next was where the plague really set in.

Because we had no money, we were unable to pay the gas bill, so it was disconnected.  Now, the heat in our house was controlled by the gas.  The longest winter was really beginning to get cold!  We had basically no heat in our home for the remainder of that winter.  I remember snuggling up under 15-20 quits each night to keep warm.  (ha ha)  It was so cold in that house that I actually went outside sometimes just to warm up!

IT SEEMED LIKE AN ETERNITY each day and night that winter.  But, you know what really seemed like an eternity?  The hot water heater was also controlled by the gas, as was our kitchen stove.  The shower had already torn up earlier in the year.  Now picture this, I had to take baths in a tub filled literally with ice water, with no heat in the house, in the middle of the coldest winter on record.  IT SEEMED LIKE AN ETERNITY taking those baths.  I'm serious when I tell you it was the following August when I finally thawed out.  If I had been a few years younger then I could have brought a toy ship into that bath tub and played Titanic as I sink it against one of the icebergs floating around in there!

I was blessed in one respect thought.  I got to be in the history books.  Perhaps you saw my picture in there, I was the ICEMAN. ;-)

When I finally thawed out, I realized that once again God was teaching me something.  This time He was teaching me "When everything around you seems cold...you've got a friend in Jesus."  I realized during that winter that it did not matter what I faced, I would never face it alone.  It may have been cold on the outside, but on the  inside I was aglow with the warmth of Christ's love for me.

Christian, learn this:  It does not matter what is going on in your life today...Jesus loves you.  He's your best friend.  He is more faithful than the rising of the sun.  He knows what you are going through, and He's willing to help you through it all.

Remember, the SONlight can bring warmth to the coldest of days!

Have a "Wonderful DAY in Christ,"
Jimmy D. Brown
\o/ Praise Jesus!