Like the coolness of snow at harvest time is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the spirit of his masters (Proverbs 25:13).

October is one of my favorite times of the year.  Especially October in Ohio, where I grew up.  Brilliant blue-skied days... Deep, dark, starry nights... Corn being harvested... Red maple leaves falling from the trees... American football on the weekends... Apple cider... Acorns on the ground... Somehow even the air feels fresher and cleaner.  I cannot fully explain it, but I simply feel more alive in October!

Towards the latter days of October, the nights become still cooler and crisper.  Frost forms on the fields.  A thin crust of ice forms on the surface of any accumulated water.  And sometimes, there will even be a dusting of snow.  The first flakes of snow are always a great cause for celebration in the late fall.  It's like a kind of natural miracle, a blessing coming down from heaven to rest on the earth.  Later in the winter, the snow might become wearisome.  But in October it's a refreshment.  It's a great time of the year...

All that to say this:  the imagery of Proverbs 25:13 resonates with me deeply.  I know what it feels like to be refreshed "like the coolness of snow at harvest time."  Like the glories of an October in Ohio.

But it's also good to realize that this same blessing is available year-round, in the form of relationships.  This is, in any event, my contextualization of the "trustworthy messenger" of Proverbs 25.  Most of us don't keep a staff of servants whom we can send to do our bidding; but we do have friends who serve as emmisarries between us and other people within (and actually also outside of) our social networks.  And in a sense, a faithful friend really does work like a trustworthy messenger.  An faithful friend never gossips behind your back -- providing a negative impression to someone else.  A faithful friend will stick up for you when others are inclined to put you down.  A faithful friend will advocate for you, advancing your interests whenever and wherever possible.  A faithful friend serves as a useful intermediary, going before you and smoothing the way for you to follow up later.  Like I said, a faithful friend really does work like a trustworthy messenger.

I consider myself very blessed to have a number of people in my life who genuinely qualify as faithful friends.  They refresh my spirits greatly, whenever I'm with them -- but also when we're apart.  When I know that a guy's "got my back," I feel so much stronger and more satisfied than when I'm alone, advocating for myself.  It's a beautiful thing -- much like Ohio in October.