It's Snowing, It's Snowing!!!

In our part of the country, snow is celebrated and definitely welcomed....by most.  All weekend long, we have waited and wondered, will it actually happen?  What is it that makes us love snow so much?  What is it about snow that turns us 30 somethings into little children again?  There truly is something magical about snow. 

I woke up a few minutes ago and ran to the back door to check.... Sure enough, it was falling and had already covered the back porch.  I felt my heart leap inside; I felt giddy inside.  WOW!  What a feeling!  Now, as an adult, I also know what this might mean--no power or heat, dangerous roads, icy conditions, etc...  And I pray that everyone is kept safe and warm.

But, I treasure the feeling of giddiness, the childlike wonder of it all, however brief it may be.

Earlier in the day, Bennett said, "Mom, if it snows and we lose power, and we get to go stay with Maw Maw, that would be a dream come true for me."  It dawned on me that what we see as troublesome or disastrous even, she sees as miraculous.  See, she remembers the last time when it snowed and iced.  Sure enough, we were without power for a couple of days and we, along with her aunts and uncles, cuddled up at my parent's house to keep warm, but mostly to make lifetime memories. 

So, for me, what makes it so special?  Sure, it is great fun to go sledding, and great fun to have snow ball fights, and great fun to build snowmen and make snow angels....But for me, it is a time, in the midst of a hectic life, to pause and consider..........what's important, who's important, to be with the ones I love most!  It is a time of renewal and restoration---Ahhhh, love those words!

                     Psalm 51 says it best!!!!
                     verse 10:  "Create in me a clean heart, O God.   Renew a right spirit within me."
                     Verse 12:  "Restore to me again, the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you."
                   
                 Verse 7:  "Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow."

So, tomorrow, as you look out across the landscape and marvel at how beautiful God's creation is, with a fresh blanket of white(Psalm 147:16)...ask Him to cleanse your heart, ask Him to restore you and renew you and to make you willing to obey Him! 

Reflections on Christmas

Every family has their family traditions.  Many do the Elf on the Shelf, an elf who shows up in varying places throughout your house during the holiday season, supposedly looking out for good behavior.  It seems to me that the true meaning of Christmas is so easily lost in all the gifts and all the visits with Santa.  So, in 2009, I began using my grandmother's old 3 piece manger scene.  During the week of Christmas, Mary and Joseph showed up in the barn, out by the mailbox, all in an effort to make the journey to Bethlehem where Jesus could be born.  This year, we used a new plush manger scene.  It has the three wise men, a donkey, a camel, Mary, Joseph, a sheep and Baby Jesus.  Each day, new characters would show up in different places throughout the house.  On Christmas morning, Baby Jesus had finally made his appearance. 

So, it's Christmas morning.  I was awake before everyone else.  I savored the time to just be....before the mad rush began once Bennett and Merritt were awake.  Everything was ready.  The gifts were wrapped and placed.  Our new plush manger scene was now complete with Baby Jesus and all the others....
I hear tiny little footsteps.  It's Merritt hobbling down the hallway.  He stopped just as he entered the living room and just stared (for what seemed like at least 5 minutes straight) at the enormous pile of gifts that had appeared in the living room overnight, as if by magic.  Then the sweetest thing happened.  He did not say a word; he did not rush to open the gifts.  Instead, he turned and knelt down at the manger scene, staring at the the tiny little baby that had been added.  

Moments like these come often, I believe.  But, more often than not, we pass them by and choose not to treasure the valuable lessons our children are teaching us.  In that simple little gesture, a 16 month old had shown me what is truly important about Christmas.  Smack in the middle of what seemed to be the least Christmasie season I have ever experienced, my little boy knelt at the feet of an infant and worshipped him!  WOW!  It is simple, yet profound moments like these that Jesus is every bit as alive and well in my heart as he was on that Christmas morning some 2000 years ago when he was born and laid in a manger.  Praise God!  Be blessed!