y. This is a longer than normal post, but I feel inspired!)This past Friday evening the snow started falling in what looked like layers. Looking out my living room window, it seemed as though I was standing in front of a stage as the backdrop of snow was put into place. It was beautiful as evidenced by this picture Jeff took from our carport. What we didn't know as we drifted off to sleep that night was that the snow continued to fall in sheets and by the time we woke up Saturday morning, we had accumulated 8"! Many power lines were down from the weight of the wet snow and the temperature in our house attested to the fact that the heat had been off for several hours as we nestled obliviously under our blankets.
Jeff quickly set about lighting the gas fireplace and turned the chairs so we could sit close. They say necessity is the mother of invention and the necessity that morning was for hot water for a nice cup of hot tea. Jeff patiently held a pot of water over the flames and in no time, we were both sipping our hot beverages. Ahh, what fun . . . at least for a little while! We spent the day watching cars maneuver down Little Paint Road and even managed a short trip to the church where we discovered the electricity was still on. We headed home and after an attempt at sledding down the neighbor's driveway and making a snowman and a snowball or two, we set about the task of finding candles in preparation of the night ahead. As the minutes ticked away, darkness fell very heavily. There was not a light to be seen outside which almost seemed a little eerie. We were thankful for the many candles we had placed around the house earlier which helped us as we made trips down the hallway to the bedrooms and bathroom. We received several phone calls throughout the day from friends and family who wanted to see how we were doing, offered a room, a shower, a meal.
After passing the evening playing Skip-Bo, we decided to sleep in the living room close to the warmth of the fire and thankful for the candle sconces on the wall that lit the hallway for those middle-of-the night trips down the hall. The morning light was welcome and still very cold. We chose our clothes for church and while Jeff headed off to the home of a nearby church family to shower, I locked myself in one of the bathrooms at church to make myself presentable.
We had a sweet service with those who were able to make it to church. Most were surprised when they heard that we were still without power. We were honored to be guests of one of the sweet families from church for lunch afterwards then returned to the cold of our home and the looming darkness. What had started out as kind of fun was beginning to be dreaded. Thankfully, one of our friends offered the use of a generator which powered a couple lamps and Jeff's laptop computer. We spent a couple hours reading and enjoying the ability to function somewhat normally. Be it ever so quiet, I heard a "beep, beep, beep." "What was that?" "It's the phone! The lights are on! The electricity has been restored!" Yahoo! Celebration!
As I began to put away the candles, mop up the water from the now-thawed freezer, and wash the dishes, the Lord touched me so tenderly about all we had just experienced. This morning this was the Bible reading that went along with a devotion I read. It is 1 John 1:5-8:
"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. " Here were a few analogies from our experience in the darkness:
- Our Heavenly Father sent his son Jesus into the world to bring light to a sin-dark world. How I rejoice in the Light he is to me!
- There are many in the world who are still in darkness, fumbling around, trying to make it with light substitutes. Nothing can replicate the Light of God.
- We can fool people and make them believe we are in the Light when in reality, we are stumbling around in darkness. Why? ? There's nothing like the Light Christ brings!
- Those of us who have the Light need to be concerned about those in the darkness. Just as many called and offered encouragement and were a blessing to us, those of us who are walking in the Light of God can be used by God to encourage those who have yet come to know Him. Your influence, my influence in their life cannot be underestimated.
- Some of us are small instruments, some larger (candles vs. generators) yet all have their purpose and are needed. Am I fulfilling my purpose to encourage others to come to the Light of the World?
- When the Light comes, when one comes to Christ and finds the true source of Light, there should be great rejoicing!
The candles are back in the drawer, the food is all back in the refrigerator, and the Christmas lights are shining brightly. As life returns to normal, I'm thankful for the opportunity as we approach the week of Christmas to truly appreciate the light that was born into the world in the form of a baby. I pray you too know him--he is a light worth celebrating!
If you need a good appetizer for a celebration this week, here's one of my family's favorites.
Hot Artichoke Crabmeat Dip
1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts in water drained and chopped
1 1/2 cup crab meat
3/4 cup (3 oz) grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions with tops
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 zest of lemon
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper (optional garnish)
Preheat oven to 350F. Combine cream cheese and mayonnaise, mix well. Add artichokes, crab, parmesan cheese, green onions, garlic, lemon zest and black pepper; mix well. Spoon mixture into baking dish. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown around edges. Garnish with additional green onions and or bell peppers.
It's an amazing thought, isn't it, that Christ would come to be our Light? Good analogies and a wonderful Truth! So glad you have electricity again...we've been praying for you.
ReplyDeleteIt does us all good to experience a little of what our forefathers put up with as routine. They thought themselves so much more advanced than their fathers before them. We indeed are a blessed people and privileged to be living in the 21st Century, for all the modern conveniences we have. However, we need to turn back to the values, and respect for life that those before us had. As a whole, we are unappreciative of our blessings. As a nation we would do well to make this a Godfearing United States of America once again.
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