While I Was Yet Sinning

Fireplaces, quilts and winter.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born, to die, to plant, to uproot, to kill, to heal, to tear down, to build, to weep, to laugh, to mourn, to dance, to scatter stones, to gather them, to embrace, to refrain from embracing, to search for, to give up, to keep, to throw away, to tear, to mend, to be silent, to speak, to love, to hate, for war and for PEACE. [Emphasis mine]”

Truly there is a time for everything even if God didn’t put that particular item in the list. Why? Because God says so. I never liked that statement as a child. Parents, teachers and others in authority had that habit of saying, “Because I said so!” to my repeated questioning. As a parent I may have even uttered that phrase once or twice. I didn’t like hearing myself say it either.
Fireplaces come in many different styles and functions. Some use the fake logs and the light to simulate the roar and crackling of the real thing. Others are enclosed with glass and metal to protect and be efficient. Still others are open hearths that consume whole logs and the heat can be felt through the whole room. There is a time for fire and fireplaces. Many an unsent confrontational letter has been consumed by a fireplace that cannot speak [except for snap, crackle and pop]. Many a fireplace has been the solitude of one’s soul as they sat gazing into the flames searching for answers that seem to never come. Love has been born before fireplaces and many a child has been conceived there in its presence. I think we like fireplaces because they will never tell a soul the secrets that are ours.
Quilts came in very handy growing up in the cold upper Midwest. And in the winter we piled on more quilts! We can all buy quilts at the local store out of the catalog. But nothing is like the quilt mom, grandma or great-grandma made. Even if the purchased thing is warm and retains its stitching better; the real thing is full of love and caring and it too holds our secrets. Tears cried in childhood of a loss, hurt, or other tragedy that strikes the soul of every child. Tears cried as an adult as we are left abandoned by another either through leaving or death. Doesn’t matter, they are both a death of sorts. I think we like quilts because they will never tell a soul the secrets that are ours.
Winter is so simple and so complex at one and the same time. One’s life is seen in seasons from spring to summer, to fall, and finally on to winter. In that context, winter can be a very precious commodity for those who never pass the boundaries of spring or summer or fall. Growing old is a privilege denied to many. I remember the many degrees below 0 and the associated wind chill factors in my native Midwest. We grow up accustomed to where we live. Within our spiritual lives, there are also seasons; if we chose to engage the growth process. For some, there is no movement from spring to summer. For others there is no movement from summer to fall and yet for others, the transition from fall to winter never passes. Seasons are movement in our lives that keep track of time and measure the life we live. I think we like winter because winter will never tell a soul the secrets that are ours.
Fireplaces, quilts and winter are companions of the same kind. They nurture our souls and the growth in Christ attributed in our lives is dependent upon there being a time for everything. The last word in Ecclesiastes 1:8 is “peace.” Peace is such a powerful word and is much sought after. One needs only re-read the list and you can see “times” you have passed and perhaps “times” coming. Each in His time. So, why not give Him the “time” to care for you.
Fireplace, quilts and winter. I will, just for today, focus on what I can be and can do and leave the secrets to my other 3 friends.