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For 30 years, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and I have lived here in Florida, enjoying the beautiful weather. The other morning, I got up, got my coffee, and sat down to begin the day.
No sooner had I sat down than I felt cold and began to shiver, as I hadn’t shivered in a long time. The temperature was below my appreciation. I don’t like it when it is cold. The only cold I like is in my iced tea and ice cream.
About that time, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage came into the room and said, “What happened to Global Warming?”
Handling cold weather is something I’m not very good at. I grew up in Pennsylvania, where we had lots of snow and cold weather. I loved it back then, but I was younger and could handle cold much better than I can today.
A relative of mine who still lives up north asked me if I missed the cold, wintry, snowy weather. I told them, “Yes, I do miss all of that cold weather, and I plan to miss it the rest of my life.”
Where people get the idea that the weather is changing is beyond me. What has changed is my ability to handle cold weather. Once, I could handle 32°, but now I struggle with 50°. It can never be too hot for me, but it sure can be too cold.
As The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and I were sitting together, we had a shivering contest. I think she thought she could outshiver me, but I won that one. I can shiver like nobody you’ve ever seen. My shivering is to tell the cold to go north, where it belongs.
Maybe one of these days I’ll become accustomed to the cold here in Florida. But until that time, I’m not a very happy camper with all of this cold.
I want to sue the weather broadcasters because I think it’s their responsibility for all of this cold weather that I’m experiencing. Why can’t they get on their media platform and say, “It’s going to be a perfect day to day, enjoy it.” But no, they have to say it’s going to be colder today than yesterday.
Why can’t all these weather broadcasters across the country get together and plan perfect weather every day? No more cold, or snow, or rain, but everything would be absolutely perfect. I could handle that.
Of course, I know that if the weather were perfect every day, all of those people would lose their job. However, I’m willing to take the chance.
I’m old enough to know nothing is perfect, except The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. Besides her, nothing in this world is perfect.
If everything in the world were perfect, what would I have to complain about?
As I shivered in my chair over a cup of hot coffee, I was reminded of a verse in the Bible.
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2).
Nothing in this world is perfect. My hope is in the transforming power of God, which is based on the perfect will of God.
Dr. James L. Snyder lives in Ocala, FL with the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. Telephone 1-352-216-3025, e-mail [email protected], website www.jamessnyderministries. com.
