By Linda J. Humes
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20
I work in a large city 3 hours from my home in the small town of Chino Valley, AZ. Every Tuesday morning at 5am I start the journey down the mountain – with several appointed stops along the way (I don’t recall having to stop quite so often when I was younger!).
It was a cold winter morning. With heater and defroster blasting I had created a comfortable refuge. Praise and worship music filled my small sanctuary as I prayed and sang while on my way to my first stop, an hour down the road, and my first cup of coffee! I have come to cherish those intimate times with my Jesus.
My stop went as usual, with only momentary shivering, and I was on my way again. I had just pulled back onto the highway when a light caught my eye, up to the left. I had never noticed it before. As I sped by at 65 mph I saw it – as I sped by I saw “Him.” It was a roof-to-ground sized crucifix on the side of a church building. It took my breath away. “Oh, no,” I thought, “someone left Jesus out in the cold.”
It hit me with such force that the ambience of my sanctuary disappeared. Immediately my thoughts went to turning around and covering him up, straight into “mom mode” and out of reality. I saw a vision of Jesus wearing my gloves, hat and wrapped in my car blanket. On any other day that would have made me laugh – trying to warm up a stone Jesus with earthly garments. But I didn’t laugh that morning; in fact I spent well into an hour in tears, so grieved in my spirit.
Why did it hurt? That crucifix had probably been there for years, this morning someone had forgotten to turn the light off. This day I faced a reality that I had not allowed myself to dwell on before. We have left Jesus out in the cold.
There is Jesus hanging alone on the side of, or in front of, our churches. We hang Jesus around our necks as a symbol of our faith. We hang Jesus on our living room walls and in our bedrooms. I’ve even seen Him hanging from rearview mirrors and glued to dashboards of cars. Jesus is all around us – in the cold. Yet is He also where He belongs? Is He nestled warmly in the depths of our heart? Is He so deep inside us that we find peace and joy in the darkest of moments? Is He inside this warm sanctuary only in times of crisis – or do I keep Him warm always?
I didn’t take off the cross I was wearing that day, but I did hold it in my hand all morning. I didn’t take down the pictures in my home, but I did make sure that the glass and frames were clean. I didn’t cover Jesus up at the little church along the highway, but I did say a dedicated prayer. I asked for His forgiveness for those moments in my life when I had left Him out in the cold. And I prayed that He would always help me keep Him nestled deep inside my heart, every day of my life.
Thank you Jesus, that no matter where man places You, You are always there to commune with us, if we will only open the door when you knock.
Linda J. Humes 
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