Lessons from the Snow

It's snowing this morning. As I sit here drinking my coffee and looking out the window at the mountains (or at least what I can see of them through the snow!), I find myself drawn to a verse in the Psalms. It's not about pure white snow, or fresh starts, or being clean or any of the other things one might associate with freshly fallen snow. Rather, I think it relates to new beginnings, this new year with all its uncertainties. As we begin this new year, the economy is in terrible shape, unemployment is on the rise, and there is stress everywhere we turn. None of us is exempt from all this....whether we are personally affected or know someone who has lost/is in danger of losing a job, has way too much month at the end of the money, etc., etc. There is additional uncertainty when we consider that a new President will take office in just a few days time. What will that mean for the country, for the economy, for our personal situations? Where do we turn for answers?

How about to Psalm 121? "I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from whence shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth."

Or to put it another way, as paraphrased in The Message: "Does my strength come from the mountains? No, my strength comes from God, who made heaven, and earth, and mountains."

So, no matter what comes my way, my strength is not in myself and does not come from my circumstances, but from God. And He's much more reliable than the economy, or politics, or the weather. He is the same yesterday and today and forever!

Maybe that's the lesson from the snow today, as it has covered all the "regular stuff" I usually see. Don't look at the "regular stuff"......it's time to take our eyes off the circumstances and keep them firmly fixed on the Source of our strength!