When the winter winds blew hard enough, the old Victorian front door with the oval window began to wail and howl. The children, snuggled in their beds upstairs in the prairie parsonage, grinned in their sleep. No need to get up for school in the morning. This was blizzard weather. Oh, how we loved those winter "vacations" when nobody ventured outside if he didn't absolutely have to. Visibility was zero, with total whiteout just past the front porch pillars.
One such morning we came down the stairs to the sound of our dad's laughter. He had that door wide open. We thought he was looking at the storm door, but the wind must have blown it open in the night. In its place, snow had packed so firmly against the front of the house that dad faced a solid wall of white. Out the back door, little snow had gathered on the threshold. That side of the house was protected by a huge wave-like drift of hard snow that curved up to the second floor porch. What a cocoon that was! We actually walked on top of the clotheslines all one winter, only to discover, come Spring, a nicely freshened quilt on the line that had enjoyed a long winter's snow-soak.
Snowbound is my dream world. As long as we have companionship, a fire on the hearth, plenty of books to read and hot chocolate and other essentials, the rest of the world can fade away. My imaginary little log cabin sounds like such a cozy cocoon. What more could a person want?
I can even find some Scriptural support in 2 Corinthians 6:17: “Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord...."
Well, to be honest, if I read a couple preceding verses, the cocoon life, as appealing as it might be, isn't actually our calling as Christians: "You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections. In return (I speak as to children) widen your hearts also." (verses 12-13)
It appears I tried to cheat. Being separate doesn't mean living in isolation. It means to "go out" to walk with Jesus in the Way He would have us go.
Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain…
...For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, "I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people...." 2 Corinthians 6:1,16 ESV
Copyright 2010---Edy T Johnson
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