A Token

Show me a token for good...  Psalm 86:17a

This is a verse our pastor in New Hampshire would often pray, for as God's children we long that our Heavenly Father will give us just a small token of His graciousness - a reminder that He does love and care for us. I find myself praying this often as late.

In truth, every day we live on this earth is a token of God's goodness. Every breath we take. Every gulp of water we swallow. Every step, every heartbeat, every ounce of sunshine or drop of rain. As a child of God, the fact that my eternity is set in heaven, never to be shaken, is well more than a mere "token" of good. But when life plods on with no reprieve to the dark valley in sight, those tokens are often lost to us. Not absent - never. But, perhaps, stuffed into a pocket...and forgotten.

This weekend God gave me a token for good. I imagine most people down here would protest that there was anything good in it, but for a young woman who longs for autumn and a true winter after years in this endless summer of barrenness, I nearly cried for joy. For two whole days, the sun disappeared. Dark clouds brought not rain but temperatures so chilly I could wear a sweatshirt, sweaters and boots. We put a fire in the fireplace, where I curled up last night to read a good mystery. And last night I huddled under my blankets as temperatures dropped into the 30s...and hated to burrow out this morning.

For some, seeing one's breath in the morning is nothing. The thought that it truly is autumn is just part of the calendar reading "October". But for me, none of that is so. I so rarely see my breath in the morning, even in the middle of winter, I sometimes ache to see it. The season of autumn doesn't truly exist in Texas: nothing changes color and the natives think temps in the 80s qualify as a cold spell...while I feel disheartened that the sun beats down upon me yet one more endless day.

Two days of true autumn weather is a mere token...when there are 365 days in a year and at least half of those should be cooler if not downright cold. But the token reminded me that God has not forgotten me down here. He knows where I am. He knows the longings of my heart. And, truly, He does love me. I know He does.