HOPE Chapel

The snowstorm that came on Saturday, December 19th, was one of the worst in years in New Jersey, according to news reports.  It snarled up the traffic, made driving difficult (even days after), put people's Christmas schedules out of kilter, and even kept people from their parties and get togethers.

But the biggest lesson I learned with the storm was the need to slow down.  The Christmas season is one of our busiest of the year.  There are so many activities to be done and prepare for, and appointments to keep, and shopping to be accomplished.  In doing so, family time for the two to three weeks before Christmas can become scarce.  And so right in the middle of this frenzied time, everyone, including myself, was forced to come to a complete stop.  And for almost two full days, all the things I thought I needed to do, and all the tasks that I had scheduled, were postponed or canceled. 

Maybe that's why so many people enjoy these types of storms (at least for a day or two).  We get to go sledding with our kids, curl up with a good book instead of going to the mall, shovel the driveway with our teenager whom hardly see any more, watch a good movie as a family, or just play in the snow with the dog.  It's a chance to slow down, to rest, to reflect and to take the rest that God wants us to take.  We are told that our strength comes from "quietness and trust" (Isaiah 30:15) but we are often too busy to do that. 

God reminded me of my need to remember what is important.  To seek him and focus on time with him.  It's like my neighbor said while we were side by side shoveling out our driveways, "It's God's way of telling us to take a day off."

Merry Christmas.