There’s nothing like the giddy surprise of waking up in the morning, looking out the window, and seeing a blanket of freshly fallen snow…especially if it doesn’t snow very often. This week the Seattle area was transformed into a winter wonderland.
Neighborhood kids squealed with delight as their dad pulled them on a sled down the snow-covered sidewalks. I remember how excited my brothers and sisters and I were when we woke up on a snowy morning and found out there was no school. We gleefully spent the day sledding, having snowball fights, making snowmen and snow angels and ice skating. Now, once again, I became like a kid and bundled up in warm clothes to go play in the soft snow.
I marveled at the pristine winter scenery and the beauty of the majestic evergreens. They looked like huge Christmas trees as they stood tall and strong with a blanket of snow beneath them and a dusting of white decorating their boughs.
After a while, my toes started getting really cold, so I headed home and gathered firewood from my woodpile. By the time I got inside, I had rosy cheeks and popsicle toes. So I built a crackling fire in the fireplace, made hot cocoa and popcorn, lit scented candles, and got cozy as I snuggled in the blankets with my warm, furry kitty cats.
That night as I watched big snowflakes float softly to the ground, I stepped outside and enjoyed the silence of gently falling snow. It was so calm and peaceful; and a special glow shined everywhere as the snow reflected the light of the moon. I thought about how every snowflake is unique; and that God creates us uniquely, too, with different gifts and personalities.
This Christmas as you gather with family and friends to celebrate the miraculous birth of Jesus, remember to cherish the uniqueness of each person. No matter what your differences are, make sure they know how much you love and appreciate them.
As I reflect on the joyous wonder of the unexpected gift of that wintry day, I’m reminded that God wants us to always have a childlike wonder as we look to him as the source of our joy and peace – like the gently falling snow on that silent holy night when Jesus, our Savior, was born.
Merry Christmas!
In Christ's love,
Martha Hadley
Luke 2:8-14
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."
Copyright © 2008 Martha Hadley. All rights reserved.
