According to the forecast, a cold front is approaching. Single-digit days and below-zero wind chills make me want to stay inside, drink hot tea, and huddle under a blanket with a good book. There’s nothing wrong with a day or two like that, but it’s not a good prescription for life or for faith.
“…Stir up one another to love and good works…” (Hebrews 10:24).
If you’ve ever watched a campfire die, you know it doesn’t happen all at once. A flame flickers and dies when its embers separate from other embers. In isolation, warmth disappears. Faith can fade the same way.
Winter has a way of isolating us. Snow and cold can make us withdraw. And while solitude can nourish us, isolation drains us. Our souls stay warm when we gather: in worship, study, conversation, prayer, or simple friendship.
We aren’t designed to be spiritual furnaces; we are shared hearths. The warmth of faith grows when we practice it together.
When we encourage one another, we stir coals. When we serve together, we add wood to the fire. When we pray together, we fan the flame. We need each other not because we’re weak, but because we were created for connection.
On this dreary day, and especially as we move into this cold front, resist letting the cold seep into your heart. Keep your flame strong by keeping in contact with other embers. Reach out to someone each day—by call, text, or message—and offer a small word of encouragement or share a laugh. Be warmth for someone, and let someone be warmth for you.
Prayer: God who gathers, thank you for the people who warm my faith. Keep me close to the community that encourages, shapes, and strengthens my walk with you. Stir my heart to build others up and to keep the fire of love burning, even on especially cold winter days. Amen.
