Stayin' warm?

“Stayin’ warm?”
This is a common pleasantry among Minnesotans during the winter months. It’s like, “Hey, how’s it going?” or “What’s up?”

“Stayin’ warm?”
You expect either a sarcastic “No. Hardly.” Or “Tryin’.” I mean really, how does one stay warm when it's 10 degrees below zero? I don’t care if you are wearing 10 pounds of clothing or have your space heater on high (or allowing your bed to smell like corn because you’re using the cornbag that your mom sewed for you to keep your feet from freezing).

I just ran into a coworker I haven’t seen in awhile in the bathroom. We said hello, and then next thing I know, I’m asking the impersonal “Stayin’ warm?”
“Um, tryin’” she said, as she washed her hands, and I walked out.

My verse for the week is 1 Thessalonians 5:18-19. “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.”

Staying warm in Minnesota is not possible right now. In fact, I just went out to eat with a friend and we sat in the “fireplace room,” You’d think it’d be warm, right? No. We were by the window and felt the draft from the -30 windchills outside. We were cold. But anyways, what is possible, is staying warm in Christ—difficult in many situations, but possible.

I constantly let the fire fade. Usually it’s snuffed out by the fact that I’m tired, too busy, feeling sorry for myself because I’m single, or somehow don’t reach the world’s expectations. Rather than giving thanks in all circumstances, I wallow in many of them that I think are less-than-ideal, and slowly, the Spirit’s fire flickers and loses heat.

But I love fire. It never fails—every time I go camping, I’m called a pyromaniac by my fellow campers. And it may be because I’m also always cold. Even in the summer, I’m not “stayin’ warm.” I take after my momma. So I like the heat. Always amazing to me is that you can crawl out of the tent in the morning and often still feel the heat from last night’s fire or at least still see some of the orange embers. No one was there roasting marshmallows or hot dogs all night long, but it kept going. And then we add some more wood, and voila, good to go for breakfast. We have flames again!

Christ’s fire in us will never completely go out, but if we want to get warm, we need to feed it a little. Add some wood to those embers. Give thanks a little. Serve others (instead of myself) a little. Smile a little. Even if we’re single. Even if the economy sucks, and pay increases—or jobs—are non-existent. Even if we’re not getting what we think we deserve. And I can tell you from experience, when I do this, I feel the heat.

So, I was thinking, next time I hear “Stayin’ warm?” I’m going to recite my verse (in my head, that is), and say “yup.” Then, maybe they'll ask how.