The Clothing of February

CHRIST IN WINTER: Reflections on Faith For the Years of Winter…



As I write this, it is July 26 on Iron Mountain. I am walking this morning without a hat, without long sleeves even. The sky is overcast. There is a little fog. It is one of those few days in the Yooper spaces that slides between the fear of skin cancer and the fear of frostbite.

There is a saying here: There is no such thing as bad weather; only bad clothing. Like most folk sayings, it is true… up to the point where it is no longer true.

Paul, the apostle to those left out in the cold, says the same thing about life: There is no such thing as bad life, only bad faith. If you have the right spiritual clothing, the clothing of the warrior, to be sure–the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the peace prep shoes–you are set to take on the winter of life. [Ephesians 6:13-15] Like most theology, it is true… up to the point where it is no longer true.

That is the point where the right clothing is just too cumbersome. Sure, you can go out in winter, if you put on the belt of Carhartt and the breastplate of Filson and the shoes of Redwing, but there comes a time when that is just too much to wear, when it is time just to stay in out of the weather and be satisfied beside the fire, even though it may be burning low.

So as I walk in the clothing of July, I think back and forward to the clothing of February. Sufficient for the day is the clothing thereof.

JRMcF

{I also write the fictional “Periwinkle Chronicles” blog. One needs a rather strange sense of humor to enjoy it, but occasionally it is slightly funny. It is at http://periwinklechronicles.blogspot.com/}

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