Quiet on the Path

You know what I like about winter? Probably not, so let me share that with you. First of all I love the silence that comes right after a beautiful snowfall. The air is pure and is filled with silence. Along with that there is a stillness as if the world, time, space has been frozen. Yet in its midst I am animated. It reminds me of the life that dwells in me.

The other aspect of winter that fits to my liking is that there are no bugs. Insects go away when it is so cold. For example when you are out at a beautiful site in the summer you will most likely have flies annoying you or mosquitoes biting you, but in the winter only Jack Frost may nip at your nose. He really only bothers me when my heat bill goes up.

Why do I share this with you? I do because it is spiritual. We are told to be still and know God. Winter affords me stillness. Some versions of scripture say to stop striving. So stop swatting the bugs! Be still. We just enjoyed at Thanksgiving a large family gathering outside Gatlinburg, Tennessee on the western border of the Great Smokey Mountains. There were times where (as much as I love my family) I had to go outside and find some quiet. I found that I could search the view of the mountains unendlessly, in the stillness, and begin to understand when the psalmist said that he would look unto the mountains from whence cometh my strength.

Let me encourage you in this traditionally very busy time of year to seek the silence of winter, the freedom from annoyance, and find the places that offer you strength. The times ahead of us indicate that there will be many challenges and we will need all the strength we can get. Keep walking the path but take time to become strong.

Until the next stop.