Baby, it's COLD outside!
Jan
16
Written by:
1/16/2009 9:47 AM
Let me tell you…I do not like winter. I am not a fan of snow or cold. I don’t even need to have a white Christmas. I’d be ok with a green Christmas any year. Perhaps that makes me sound like a Scrooge, but I suppose that’s the risk one takes when writing in a blog: revealing my less attractive side at times! So, God chose to place me in Michigan for some bizarre reason. I will tolerate the cold and just put on an extra pair of socks and try really, REALLY hard not to complain.
I think I’ve mentioned that I go to work fairly early in the morning. I have to be at my desk in Battle Creek by 7:00am, so generally I’m on the road by 6:15…just me and the truckers. While I’m not a winter/cold person, I am sort of a morning person. In the summer, I really enjoy the early morning drive to work. I’ve seen some pretty remarkable sunrises where I am slapped in the face by intense pinks, reds, and golds that practically shout out “GOD’S PAINTBRUSH WAS HERE!” I love those mornings.
But this morning I was not greeted by God’s colorful Welcome-To-Your-Day sunrise. I don’t get to see those in the winter months (again—this is why I don’t like winter, folks!) In the winter, I drive in blackness. My eyes struggle to focus through the glare of headlights and shiny, slippery pavement. My fingers turn white from lack of circulation. My shoulders tense up. I want to go back home and curl up with my blanket, a cup of hot chocolate, and my puppy. (FYI: Baxter’s doing very well, thank you. Bailey’s still hanging in there.)
I warmed up my car, climbed in with a groan, and headed off to my icy prison with a less-than-enthusiastic attitude. I turned on my new “Muse” CD (Thanks, Chelsea! I needed something to wake me up) and stared intensely at the stretch of I-94 ahead of me. It was about the time I was just coming up on the Galesburg exit when I noticed the lights.
All around me were beams of light shooting up from the ground into some unseen destination in the sky. It put Hollywood to shame. I’ve seen this only a few times before, and it is a sight to see. In the winter, there is this cold-weather phenomena where “light pillars” appear due to a combination of near-zero temperatures, ice crystals in the air, and lights on the ground. It looks as if there are all sorts of spotlights coming from the ground—much like the two high-intensity beams that were lit in remembrance of the victims of the September 11 attacks. This morning the conditions were perfect for this phenomenon to occur. To say the least—it was really cool (no pun intended.) It reminded me of the passage in Luke during Jesus’ arrival into the city of Jerusalem shortly before his crucifixion. He rode in on a colt, as the people were loudly shouting and praising him. And what did the Pharisees do? They told Jesus to tell the crowd to knock it off. Jesus responded in Luke19:40 and said, "I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
That’s a pretty remarkable statement if you really think about it. Creation is not there for us to simply enjoy only when it’s obviously pretty. It’s there as a reminder about our connection to God. Creation praises God! I have never heard a rock sing or a tree dance. But I can’t deny that creation DOES seem to acknowledge--or reflect--God in a way that seems to praise Him. Those beams of light that I witnessed this morning were more than just an awesome phenomenon. They reminded me that God deserves my praise all the time; whether I’m feeling cold or feeling comfortable.
5 comment(s) so far...
Re: Baby, it's COLD outside!
Reminds me of the song "God of Wonders"
"Lord of all creation, of water earth and sky........"
"Early in the morning I will celebrate the light when I stumble in the darkness, I will call your name by night...."
I heard some really neat testimonies on the radio this morning about the lights then later I stumbled across this blog! What a great reminder that God is in everything and just simply AWESOME!!!
You are my "blog queen hero!" Thank you for the great inspiration today!
By Tammy on
1/16/2009 2:32 PM
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Re: Baby, it's COLD outside!
You crack me up. "Blog Queen Hero?!?" HA!!! :)
By kstone68 on
1/16/2009 2:36 PM
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Re: Baby, it's COLD outside!
...WOW, how awesome! Thank you for sharing with us what God shows you in your drive to work. I am a bird lover, and have watched the birds in my backyard feeding from my bird feeders. It's not easy to keep the feeders full when the snow is deep. This summer I was amazed at how many little tiny crabapples were on our Crabapple tree. There were so many the tree drooped quite a bit. Actually, it wasn't pretty, and interfered with mowing under it. Then winter hit with a lot of snow, and I now see many birds in that tree eating the food God provided for them. God IS amazing in His provision for us and for the birds.
By K on
1/17/2009 7:54 AM
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Re: Baby, it's COLD outside!
I have never seen those lights before!!! I would imagine it would force you to look up into the heavens.....
By mary on
2/4/2009 9:08 AM
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Re: Baby, it's COLD outside!
I am very thankful for the warm weather today. It may not last long being it is still February, but what a nice break. God has a way of giving us what we need right when we need it! So here is to 62 degrees! Yahoo baby!
By Tammy on
2/12/2009 9:17 AM
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