February
the time of year when we are reminded of love.
It’s that time of year when we are expected to utter those three words,
three words that everyone longs to hear..
Those three words are so powerful.
When spoken,
they change our perspective,
they encourage us,
they stir our hearts.
And yet,
some people find it difficult to say them.
The words get stuck somewhere in people’s throats.
Perhaps it is because some people don’t express emotions easily.
Others might not have ever learned to say the words out loud.
For some, it is difficult to say them when the relationship isn’t going well.
I know a lot of people who are struggling in relationships.
For many, it has been tough of late.
There seems to be more darkness than light.
There is more chill than warmth,
more challenges and obstacles than heartwarming moments.
Sometimes, things get so tense that people move out,
move to a place where things are less bitter.
Well I say enough is enough.
It is time to take a stand for love.
It is time to encourage people to open their hearts,
and embrace how they loved so innocently as children.
Trust me, your relationship will improve immediately.
And I am here to help you.
Okay, let’s say those three words together.
Breathe deep, and be brave.
Trust me, you’ll feel better if you just say it.
Here we go…….
I
love
winter.
Oh, you thought I was talking about some sappy Valentines moment?
No, I am talking about you welcoming back those three months out of the calendar.
Okay folks, it's time to give Old Man Winter a hug.
Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?
For some of you….
yes it was.
I have seen you.
You have become pretty cranky after the 11th snowstorm of the season.
Most of you wanted to get a hit man on the groundhog
after he promised 6 more weeks of winter.
There are likely some of you who are already
envisioning the bomb that you will be sending me in the mail.
I have seen your icy stares,
I have felt your cold shoulders.
But think about it.
Weren’t you the same people that hummed along to
“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas”
just eight weeks ago?
Weren’t you the ones who sent me the beautiful Christmas cards
filled with snowflakes and small candle lit churches in snowy portraits?
Weren’t you the ones who decorated your homes with
all those winter wonderland scenes ?
Think back…..way back.
Weren’t you excited as a child to stick out your tongue to taste that first snowflake?
to find that perfect hill for sledding?
to don those ice skates and go down to the frozen pond?
I know what you are about to say.
Winter is for children.
Children get snow days with cocoa.
Adults get nerve rattling commutes to work.
I hear you.
I feel your pain.
After all,
I have a driveway that would be considered double diamond
by most ski resorts.
I have worried whether the wood pellets would last
as we absorbed sub-zero temps for days on end.
I too, have hidden under the blankets in the middle of the night
as I listened to ice laden branches and trees fall to their demise
on my ice laden driveway.
I have felt my teeth chatter
while waiting for my dog to do his business outside at 3am
during a polar vortex.
Yes, winter can be challenging.
But it also has its beauty and purpose.
It offers the earth time to hibernate so that plants and flowers will grow in the spring.
Those mounds of snow will slowly saturate the soil so the drought of summer isn’t so damaging.
It gives us those stunning moments of beauty during an otherwise dull time of the year….
Remember what it felt like to see a glistening field of white,
to see the setting sun shimmer through a forest of ice covered trees,
to hear a quieted world during a snowfall.
There are a lot of reasons to dislike winter,
much like there are a lot of reasons to dislike a spouse or friend for a season.
But there are plenty of reasons not to give up on on 1/4th of your life,
and there are just as many reasons not to give up on a personal relationship that is struggling.
But you have to start by seeing the good,
so that the not-so-good isn’t the entire story.
Some would rather just hope for an early spring,
or a quick way out of a relationship.
But I am telling you,
grab your cocoa and march out to the gigantic snowman in your front yard
and say
I love you.
And at the same time,
tell that spouse, or friend the same thing.
Who knows,
You just might see an early thaw.
And even if you don’t,
you will have begun to see your life, your relationship
the way God sees it.
Now give me back my chain saw so I can get out of my driveway.
In regards to cultivating inner beauty
Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble.
That goes for all of you, no exceptions.
Not griping, no, sharp-tongued sarcasm.
Instead bless- that’s your job, to bless.
You will be a blessing and also get a blessing
I Peter 3: 8-10
No comments:
Post a Comment