However, what was supposed to be the perfect snowfall became the perfect storm.
Dare 2 Share - "Be silent, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation.
I will be honored throughout the world." (Psalm 46:10)
I suppose there are people out there who were ‘dreaming of a white Christmas’, but I wasn't one of them…mainly because of one that I used to know.
I was a senior in high school, and we heard a friendly prediction that there was going to be 4-8 inches of snow- just enough to make a nice little pristine blanket of the white stuff in time for the holiday.
However, what was supposed to be the perfect snowfall became the perfect storm.
24 inches in 24 hours…the airport closed for 33 hours…no newspapers, no mail, no trash pickup. Denver was completely paralyzed. There must have been way too much dreaming of a white Christmas, because Frosty the Snowman filched our festivities and filibustered our festooneries.
I remember being really excited about waking up and opening gifts, but priority one for my brother and I was digging out the driveway and creating a snow cave in what once might have been our sidewalk.
Of course I was bummed…but something happened that day that I recall very vividly.
No, it wasn’t frostbitten toes or a runny nose or even seeing a cat that froze. It was something I had never experienced before on Christmas:
Quietness.
Because of the massive amount of snowfall and the complete lack of public activity, December 25th was totally tranquil.
What a contrast to the holiday hullabaloo that had harried hurried humans just one day before! One unexpected event shut the entire city down and forced people to change their plans.
In the quietness of that day, I was reminded of another event 2000 years ago that shut Satan down and offered people a chance to change their eternal destiny.
How sad that it took a brutal blizzard to block out my busy brain activity and bring me back to the truth behind the tinsel. Yet from that Christmas day forward, I decided to carve some sacred space into every future Christmas week.
C'mon, you are out of school or off work- when could there possibly be a better time? It is in the silence that God speaks and reminds you of the day the universe changed.
May I encourage you this week to find a secluded spot and have a holy moment with the Savior? You may find that is the only true way for you to come and ‘adore Him, Christ the Lord’.
Here is a passage to get you started:
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His ever expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule forever with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David. The passionate commitment of the LORD Almighty will guarantee this! (Isaiah. 9:6-7)
May you be dreaming of a ‘quiet’ Christmas!
Questions:
1) How can you focus better on Christ this week?
2) Why does God command us to ‘be still’?
3) What is God asking you to do the week before Christmas?
