Thoughts on a White Christmas

I am 55 years old and today was the first time in my life I have seen a White Christmas at my house. I say it that way because on Christmas 2007 (my first in the Northwest), we drove partway up to Mount Baker because we knew it was snowing on the mountain. We got far enough to see snow coming down and beautiful snow-covered scenery. In many ways, it was more exciting than this year because, quite frankly, we have had more than our fill of snow over the last 12 days. A week ago today, I measured 13" of snow in our yard and the church parking lot next door. Since then, it has snowed more, but the accumulated snow has also melted a considerable amount when the temperature got a couple of degrees above freezing. I'm going to guess that the total snowfall here on the east side of Burlington amounted to at least 20" -- which is a lot of snow for this Southern boy.

Most of these posts have some kind of spiritual application and this will be no different. Before moving to Washington, I lived 16 years on the Gulf Coast in Northwest Florida. Snow was not totally unknown there, but it was rare. So much so that a random snowflake flurrying down (which might happen once every 2-3 years) got everybody all excited. The one time in 16 years that we had any accumulation at all (about 2-3" which was all melted by mid-morning), we actually had church members calling us in the wee hours of the morning telling us to get up and look at the snow because it might be gone by daybreak. For those people, snow was something to be anticipated with excitement and rejoiced over on the rare occasions when it actually happened.

Snow, though, is one of those things best enjoyed in small measures. Undisturbed blankets of white snow with the white stuff clumping the the branches of spruce and fir trees makes for a beautiful, living Christmas card. But once it has been driven through and trod over by heavy snow boots, it begins to look somewhat less enchanting. After a few days, everywhere you go, you're met with the sight of dirty piles of the stuff piled up along the streets where snowplows have cleared it out of the roadways. We can be excused for thinking, "Enough, already!" Please, let's get on with our normal damp, drizzly 38 degree Northwest weather.

Perhaps the bountiful blessings bestowed upon us by the Lord might be a little like that. We appreciate those blessings and are grateful for them -- at first. Then, in time, we simply take them for granted. Then, as things go on, we get tired of them and want Him to give us something new and different. Think about the Israelites in the wilderness. They needed food so God gave them manna every day (except the Sabbath). They didn't have to work for it; all they needed do was go out and collect it and their hunger was satisfied. It wasn't too long before they started missing the variety of foods that made up their diets in Egypt. They actually wanted to go back. For some reason, they remembered the food they now craved, but seemed to forget all about the slavery and mistreatment they experienced in Egypt. It's practically impossible for present-day reality to compete with the way our memories recall the 'good ole days,' even when those past times were not very good at all.

Let's try to be grateful for every good and perfect gift from the Father of lights. Whether it is the beauty and excitement of falling snow, or manna to fill our stomachs, or the riches of God's spiritual blessings, let us acknowledge that God loves us and cares for our needs without fail. Let that never be an insignificant thing in our thinking!

Sign that the Econony Is Not as Bad as We Think

Actress Scarlett Johansson had a cold when she appeared on the Tonight Show earlier this week. Jay Leno had her sneeze into a tissue, then he put the used tissue in a baggie, had her autograph the bag, then announced that the "prize" would be listed on E-bay, with the proceeds going to charity. As I write, the bid for Ms. Johansson's used tissue is more than $3,200.

I'd like to think that some wealthy people are simply using this as an excuse to make a donation to her designated charity. Otherwise, it really makes you wonder, doesn't it?

On my list of things I'd like Santa to bring, a pre-owned tissue is way down the list, no matter whose bodily fluids are decorating it. Perhaps this is just further proof that even in a bad economy, there are still numbers of people with more money than sense.