It’s another wintry day here in Shreveport, LA. I woke up early and spent some time in silence, reflecting, journaling. I was supposed to fly to Atlanta early this morning but do to the weather the flight was cancelled. At the time it was just rainy and wet, I thought “what a waste, I could have made it to Houston by now.”
“Spring cannot get here fast enough”, I thought.
Then the kids wake up . . . soon the rain turns to snow!
Now, I am not a fan of snow. I had enough of it from my 18 months in the beautiful Village of Saranac Lake, New York. I lived there in high school and remember well the daily grind of winter life. So I welcomed the snow with boredom and apprehension. My previous experience weighs heavy on my present one.
Soon as the snowflakes turn larger I see a little boy across the street all bundled up with wide eyes looking at the sky. He could not believe his eyes . . . snow!! He was filled with awe, wonder, and a sense of joy.
So often our previous experiences of life and faith keep us from experiencing wonder at the ways that God is present in our lives. We become hardened, set in our ways, fearful of anything that is not familiar or that we have not connected with before. Our experience becoming normative, the past keeping us hostage from experiencing God in new and renewed ways.
This week we’ll gather around Psalm 147. The people exclaim praise at the freedom of being home again. Their history of exile no longer defining them, no longer keeping them from seeing God anew, from being awed at God’s deeds, and from experiencing wonder again in the everyday of life.
Today I pray that you spend time looking out your window. Pay attention to your sense of wonder . . . let God speak to you and renew your desolate and wintry soul. Know that God is still at work, still calling, still creating, still speaking. Spring is coming yet God is to be found where awe, wonder, and joy meet.
May we as a faith community continue to find wonder in our shared life, continue to nurture awe, and continue to invite others to come out of their “safe places” to see what God is doing! We would not want to miss it, as we continue becoming a generation of missionaries.