Monday through Friday, I travel the same rural roads trekking to work; I have for nearly 14 years. I know every house, every tree & every bump in the road by now. It is a pretty drive, but sometimes the beauty is lost by the familiarity of the commute. There is one particular site, that I love, but it is only visible in winter when the trees have expelled their leaves. It is a very small old church that sits back off the main road nestled underneath some trees. There is a field and pond in front of it and as the sun rises behind it each day, the pond illuminates into and orange-ish yellow glow. The picturesque scene is only visible for a mere two seconds as I whiz past. But in those seconds, it seems like a scene from an English countryside. What is the history of that old church? What sermons or weddings were performed there? These questions will probably remain unanswered but the mystery and romance of it captures my thoughts.
As fall rolls around, I wait with anticipation of seeing that little church once again. Finally, as the chill whips through the air and carries away the last of the leaves, I see it. I thought about this in context of our relationship with God. Because in life, everything points back to God to where there is always a lesson to be learned even from the most insignificant of things. This beautiful little church only emerges when the thriving life of summer with vibrant green leaves withers into the cold sparse winter. Had winter never come, the hidden treasure of that beautiful church would have been missed. That after 14 years of taking this arduous path, this little church has become a joyful anticipation.
It amazes me that the greatest treasure only appears in the most desolate times of our lives. It is a reminder that had the hard times not come, beautiful treasures wouldn't have been revealed. That on this long journey of life which can quickly turn into such mundane existence and with it comes the lonely isolated times. God always has a something beautiful that we can hold close to our hearts and know that we would have missed it, if we didn't have those times of sorrow. When life has cleared its obstruction, we can clearly see what lies hidden in our daily surroundings. Our relationship with God is nothing less, than getting life out of the way and seeing the treasure God has for us and thanking Him for the lonely times because had not they been, we wouldn't know HIS beauty. We never look closely unless we are forced to look.
I have recently experienced this winter time after returning from an amazing ladies retreat where the power of God moved in such unspeakably miraculous ways. I climbed down from that mountain back into the reality of my life just to face many trials from every possible angle which has left me overwhelmed and alone. I want the winter to end and it always does and when it does new life buds into hope and greater abundance of life. Even with the newness springing forth, I am looking to those hidden treasures, I know those treasures exist as my little church exists and stands as a memorial that with God you are never alone or forgotten.
I realize that this isn’t really a typical Christmas message, but maybe during this holiday season and another year coming to a close, perhaps you are reflecting over loss of family members, family drama, busyness of every kind. Maybe you too are feeling the affects of a winter season. My thoughts to you is too look closely and find your own little church that God wants to reveal to you and give you hope He is indeed with you too.
Merry Christmas!
