Beautiful Birds

Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth.   Psalm 108: 5

I woke up to a lovely view outside my kitchen window this morning. This Cardinal and Tufted Titmouse were sitting together peacefully on the tree branch. Aren't they beautiful?

Be Still

Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46: 10

A crippling snowstorm arrived this past weekend announcing the arrival of winter with a fury,  right in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season. It's almost as if God was saying it was time to be still and focus on the true meaning of the season. As I looked outside wondering how much deeper the snow was going to get, I saw a Tufted Titmouse just sitting on the post. I felt a sense of calmness wash over me as I watched the snow falling. It had been quite some time since I just sat and watched the birds at the feeders. I had become too busy lately to focus on God's beautiful creation.

With Christmas only three days away, I realized I had once again allowed myself to get caught up in the busyness. Each year I think it's going to be different. I'm not going to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season. I'm going to take time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, and yet every year it happens. Somewhere between my good intentions and Christmas day, I once again get swept away into the vicious cycle of preparing for Christmas. And it's not just me. It seems as if every woman I know has the same problem. Rather than being a time of true celebration, the Christmas season has become of time of stress and exhaustion. It's also the time when what we should be reflecting on the most seems to be what is thought about the least. I was deeply saddened today when I realized Christmas was so close and I have yet to simply be still and reflect on the true meaning of it. How did celebrating the birth of Jesus become such a stressful and busy time?

It seems many have even grown to dislike Christmas. I've heard several women say they can't wait until it's over. Others say how much they dread this time of the year. How sad that the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior has become a time that's dreaded. How things have changed since the time when that sweet baby was placed in a manger! It seems now that Christmas is about bright lights, decorations, cookie baking, and buying gifts we can't afford. We attend church events that do focus on the true meaning of the season, but often we are too tired to enjoy them.  Instead of reflecting on Jesus, we rush right out the church door and off to the next event. How many of us truly keep Jesus at the center of our celebrations? If we figured up how much time we spent focusing on Him and serving him compared to how much time we spend on worldly traditions that have little spiritual significance, I think we would be surprised. 

I'm thankful for the weekend snowstorm and being snowed in for several days. It has forced me to slow down and look at the beauty around me. The beauty that is all too easily taken for granted. In the midst of preparing for Christmas, we need to take time to be still and know Him. We need to rejoice and celebrate the baby who was laid in a manager wrapped in swaddling clothes. May we never forget the most precious and wonderful gift of all, Jesus Christ!

Prelude to Winter

Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Psalm 51: 7

It's been nearly a month since the curtain closed on the spectacular performance of autumn here in the woods, and I knew it would only be a matter of time before frigid temperatures, long dark nights, and bitter winds appeared on the scene.  One gets rather spoiled by the fall season and the colorful show of the leaves as they shower the mountains with extraordinary color. In comparison, winter often can seem drab and dreary, and I have to admit that it is my least favorite time of the year. 

Over the weekend, we woke up to our first snowfall of the season. The drab brown trees were beautifully dressed in coats of sparkling snow, and that which had become barren and lifeless once again became beautiful.  This prelude to the soon coming winter months was a reminder that winter truly does have a beauty of its own. God certainly takes that which is common and turns it into something beautiful!

This made me ponder how we often experience "winter" seasons in our life and how long, depressing, and hopeless they can seem when in the midst of them. The trials we face often seem as daunting as the frigid temperatures and as unwelcome as the howling bitter winds that are part of the winter season. These seasons of difficulty can seem very dark indeed. Yet, it is often during these seasons of "winter" that God makes us more beautiful, as we draw nearer to Him and cling to His promises. 

Like the brilliant snow falling softly over the mountains, God's love and grace falls upon us,  making us beautiful! And just like the once dreary woods draws attention to its beauty when covered with freshly fallen snow, others will see the beauty of Christ in our lives, as we draw closer to Him and are covered abundantly with His grace and love.