This weekend in our hometown has been all about snow. Of course, snow in the south means something different than in Chicago or the Rockies! It only takes a few inches to bare all the shelves in every grocery store and shut down schools for days. I live in North Carolina!
Last night before heading to bed, my wife and I took a short walk after the snow had passed the bitter stage of pelting sleet and only light flurries remained, the clouds giving way to a full moon and starry skies. The storm had passed and now there was stillness as the snow held in the warmth of the earth and absorbed the sounds as well.
There we stood, two vertical beings on a tiny round globe hanging in a vast universe surrounded by the stark beauty of creation. Of course, due to my wife’s perpetual celebrations type personality, the large shrubbery around our house was still lit with tiny white lights from Christmas, making things all the more spectacular. We had our own private moment of worship there in the cul-de-sac just about midnight, nothing that would awake the neighbors, but a simple awareness between us that we were in the presence of God.
Now this morning, the silence is still there and the earth is still frozen, even the churches have mostly closed on this Sabbath day. That may be a good thing, breaking even the rut of our religious calendar.
God is certainly above all that we control and whether it be Haiti’s disaster or our delightful winter weather crisis, He is always there if we will pause to listen or to look.
I am thankful for the seasons and especially for winter, as it has a beautiful way of stopping us, even denying us travel at least for a moment, a winter Sabbath.