Crowds and Cold Weather

 

One day, around the time of the Eastertide, the Waldrons of Campbell County, Virginia entered their minivan and embarked for the Commonwealth of Kentucky.  For, they had heard rumors that Daniel Boone had found somewhere thereabouts, a pass through the mountains into the land beyond. 

While there, they saw neither Hide nor Hair of Mr. Boone (although they did spend time in a county named after him).  They saw plenty of Other Folk though.

For one day, while there, they went to the Zoological Garden of Cincinnati.  It was a lovely day and they found there over 100,000 Tulips blooming in various shades of the rainbow.  If they were not at their Prime Beauty, they were awfully close.

As they passed through and saw Meerkats and Giraffes, Gorillas and Malaysian Tigers, the father of the family's melancholic spirit raised its head.  “This would a lot more enjoyable without all these people,” he thought morosely.  For, in some places the family found it hard to navigate due to the Press of People.

The next day dawned chilly and windy, with a temperature of 7 degrees Celsius.  (Most temperatures sound colder when stated in Celsius -- beyond which scientists for some reason use the scale.)  On this day, they made their way to the Ark Encounter.  Whether it was because of the weather, or because they had heard that a grumpy man was going to be in attendance, there were not many people there.

Still, the father's melancholic spirit spoke up.  For, it told him that it should have been Sunny and Seventy Degrees, just as had it had been the day before.  Truly, it was a cold and dreary day.

At perhaps this point, or mayhap a bit after, he realized that the problem was not the crowds or the weather.  The issue was inside of him.

I contemplated the plight of this father.  He has much in common with me and whilst I am Upbeat at times, there have been a plenitude of moments where I could only see the Dark Cloud, even though the Silver Lining was two miles wide.

Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatsoever ye do in word, or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.”

Discouragement comes when I focus on the negative things, while gratitude comes when I realize that I am blessed by God, regardless of the temperature.

As a child of God, I am blessed every day – even if one day I end up at the zoo on a cold, rainy day that was also Really Crowded.