Come Before Winter

In the second letter of Paul to Timothy, he entreats Timothy to “Do your best to come before Winter.” 2 Timothy 4:21. An innocent enough conclusion to a letter between friends and colleagues.

How often have we heard similar petitions and not heeded the call. A mother tells a son to come home to see his father one last time, a friend says “come visit” and before we think another thing about the request, disaster has struck and it’s too late, or something mysterious grabs a hold of us and says “come before Winter.” We have all had such calls and feelings.

Or perhaps, Paul’s words have a different meaning. We all have somewhere we are supposed to go with our life. Is he asking that Timothy and in a way all of us, to do our best to go to that place before conditions prevent us from doing so. So today, I ask myself and call on you to ask where are you called to go – “before Winter.” The words “before Winter” also have a different meaning to each of us.

I believe that a call to “come” is not necessarily to a place. We are asked to come where our life is or is meant to be. It is nothing pious, more like a vital urge, but God acts not only by pious emotions, but by vital ones, as well.

“Come before winter” – it is not just a conclusion of a letter to Timothy. It is a message to you and me. Pray that God give each of us the grace to do it.

About the author

Webb Hubbell is the former Associate Attorney General of The United States. His novels, When Men Betray, Ginger Snaps, A Game of Inches, The Eighteenth Green, and The East End are published by Beaufort Books and are available online or at your local bookstore. When Men Betray won one of the IndieFab awards for best novel in 2014. Ginger Snaps and The Eighteenth Green won the IPPY Awards Gold Medal for best suspense/thriller. His latest, “Light of Day” will be on the bookstands soon.

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