Sofie sits contentedly in her recliner, soaking in the warmth and ambiance of her gas fireplace. The thermometer on her porch reads four below zero, but a warm shower, a hot cup of coffee, and a warm fire make the world feel like a wonderful place. The eighteen inch snow storm that recently blanketed the acreage between her farmhouse and her neighbor’s has been driven by the wind, turning the whole world into a one-of-a-kind ice sculpture. Today she will be celebrating her eightieth birthday, and she decides there is no better way to start the day than to sit contentedly enjoying her blessings.
Meanwhile, within eyeshot, Sophie’s neighbor, Imelda – also 80 years old – glares out the window, shivering and cursing vehemently. She has wrapped her trembling frame with multiple blankets. She has nothing but cold water to drink. It has been two days since she has been able to shower. What gives?
It is simple. Sofie has gas, water and electricity. Imelda does not. Last fall Sophie spent her limited budget on a few minor repairs… a leaky valve, a broken pipe and a frayed wire. Today, the inhospitable weather gives her no concern; she can actually enjoy it as she peers out the window she had replaced.
Imelda is actually quite wealthy. Her house is bigger, her fireplace is costlier, and she has many well-connected “friends.” But today she shivers and laments the day she was born as she realizes she should have had her gas lines repaired instead of taking a cruise. She now wishes she had spent money fixing the broken window instead of buying another necklace with which to impress her friends. Now, life is exposing the inadequacies of her infrastructure. The weather doesn’t care that she meant well. Life does not consider the fact that her grandmother was a wonderful philanthropist. Her only hope is to find ways to survive and then immediately tend to those more important issues.
The moral of the story is that it is easy to get caught up with surface things that don’t matter rather than the more important issues in life. Man is tripartite: body soul and spirit. The body can be likened to the house. The soul can be likened to the person living in the house. The spirit can be likened to the lifelines coming and going into the house, such as gas lines, water lines, sewer lines and electrical lines. Someone who keeps their pipe-lines working will have vastly different life experiences than their neighbor who may be dealing with many of the same life circumstances. Spiritually speaking, a connection with God is the most important pipe-line a person can have. Daily prayer and church attendance are key to staying warm inside. Staying connected with God and letting God do minor repairs to the heart and mind may seem insignificant in good weather, but, come bad weather, it makes all the difference.
In 1738 John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church, described a time when he had a life-changing experience with God in which he felt “strangely warmed.” On the day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts chapter 2, the Holy Spirit manifested as “tongues of fire.” It was the inner power God had promised just before he ascended. Receiving the Holy Spirit is not an event; it is the opening of a pipeline. The better the pipeline, the more inner strength one can access. This connection eventually produces peace and joy that others see manifest. Your world might be hostile and cold at times. The solution is to work on those pipelines to heaven. No matter how cold it is outside you can be warm inside.