The fire warms the heart, even through cold and ice...
It's been very cold to quite chilly here and with four dogs, a hubby, me and Luke the doors are open and closed LOTS! Our pellet stove keeps the house toasty warm but the ice patterns on the storm doors seem to be getting thicker and more intricate as the winter wears on. This one on the back door looked like beaded flames in the ice - so lovely and such a contrast. How the image of the flames and the meaning of their warmth was etched into very cold ice on a very cold door.
Reminds me very much of faith - the images of heaven, the message of our redemption, the clarity of the Word yet it is masked in the ice and frost of the world around us. We don't always see the beauty in the ice because we long for the warmth of the fire. But through the ice we can see a fire, through the fog of this world we can see through the Word.
Winter used to be seen as a season of rest or death - nothing much grows except piles of ice and snow. It can be a hard season of short days and long, dark nights. We often deal with seasonal disorders that directly relate to the lack of sunlight - how much more are we suffering from a lack of Son-Light when we are in the winter of our faith?
Wen I'm in the dark and cold I seek the light, even an icy flame on a frozen window can remind me of the warmth of faith, the comfort of grace and the joy of being a created child of a loving God.
God's grace is our only hope! "But in your great mercy you did not destroy them completely or abandon them forever. What a gracious and merciful God you are!" Nehemiah 9:31, TLB
In the winter when the nights are cold, dark and long how do you bolster your light? How do you light a candle of faith in the winter of your world? So much of the world never experiences a death cold, a deadly winter night, and yet it is in this very season we celebrate the birth of our own Light, our Christ, born humbly attended by animals in a stable in the winter. Even a desert winter isn't a warm and light filled way to enter the world.
The lights of my Christmas tree spread a glow over the room, the lights outside on the fence warm the winter's night. Listening to my little boy say his prayers and talk about how excited he is about Jesus being born and the gifts we have to that enable us to talk to God and share in His Holy Light...how blessed are we to be Children of Grace!
Thank you God for the short days where we cherish each hour of light, no matter how cold or grey. Thank you God for the dark nights which grow shorter as we near spring. Thank you God for the blessings that warm our lives and light our hearts. Thank you for Your gifts and Your grace...
Amen...
I have been so inspired by my blog-friend and sister in Christ, Ann, http://www.aholyexperience.com/, and her words and wonderful photos. Please visit her blog and those linked there - your hearts will be filled with many wonderful words and visual treats for the soul. Visit (in)courage at www.incourage.me for more great blogs and messages...
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