Now that the weather is beginning to get colder in our northern
climate and the leaves are quickly falling to the ground, my mind starts
thinking about storing up certain things and putting away others for the
winter. Some of this activity had to be done a month ago as we cleared the back
yard in preparation for our deck rebuild - such as storing the patio furniture in
the basement, putting all my lawn ornaments in the garage, draining all the
hoses and hanging them up inside, throwing out stuff that had been chucked out-of-sight
under the deck, and transplanting some perennials I wanted to save at the base
of the deck. But there’s still much to do.
This weekend I really must sort through our clothes
closet and store away our summer clothes and exchange them with warmer ones.
The summer jackets in the front closet need to be transferred to the laundry
room closet and replaced with winter ones – same goes for shoes and boots, hats
and gloves, scarves and mittens. Summer bedding needs to be washed and packed
away in the linen closet and substituted with warmer flannelette sheets and
down comforters.
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| Leaves frozen in the bird bath |
Outdoors, my abundant hostas have succumbed to the frosty
nights and now lie yellowed and limp. They need to be cut back and the leaves
stored in clear plastic bags until the next compost pick-up day. Ditto for the
leaves which are quickly piling up on the lawn and begging to be raked, piled,
and bagged. Once our deck is finished, there will be some last minute clean up
before it gets too cold.
Then there are winter tires to install on the cars, snow
shovels and ice scrapers to put in the trunk, winter windshield wipers to
exchange summer ones, anti-freeze radiator and windshield washer fluids to pour
in, and bags of road salt to dig out for the driveway. The snow blower needs to
be cleaned and prepped although I hope we don’t have to use it too often! And,
once the carpenters are all done and the garage is free of lumber and tools, we
will need to sweep up and put things back in place.
In a couple more weeks it will be time to think about
unpacking Christmas decorations, putting
up the outdoor lights, doing a little Christmas baking to put in the freezer, and
hiding away gifts and stocking stuffers (providing I get my shopping done
sooner than usual).
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| A squirrel's storehouse |
I’m always impressed by the instinct of the squirrels and
birds that stay around for the winter as they industriously gather nuts, seeds,
and nesting materials to help them survive the colder months. It’s amazing to
me that they have the God-given sense to do this long before we humans make
time for it.
In the Bible, God gives us some instructions on what we
should or should not store up.
“My
son, if you accept
my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to
wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for
insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the
Lord and find knowledge in God.” Proverbs 2:1-5
“Wise men store up knowledge…” Proverbs 10:14
“He
(the Lord) will be the sure foundation
for your times, a rich store of
salvation and wisdom and knowledge: the fear of the Lord is the key to this
treasure.” Isaiah 33:6
“Do
not store up for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and
steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…”
Matthew 6:19-20a
“Now there is in store for me the crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that
day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
II Timothy 4:8
“The
good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart...” Luke 6:45
“We
always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have
for all the saints – the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven...” Colossians
1:3-5
God’s commands, wisdom, understanding, insight, fear of
the Lord, salvation, heavenly treasures, a crown of righteousness, goodness,
hope…these are the things we are to make a priority to store up in our lives.
Really puts things into proper perspective, doesn’t it? The most important activity
we can ever be involved in is cleaning out what doesn’t belong in our lives,
letting those things go, and making room for God to have first place in our
heart.
Until next Sunday,
Kathy
Beautiful post Kathy. Have a blessed week. Pamela
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