By Deacon Gregory M. Kirk
St. Joseph Church, Galion
It was minus six degrees this morning. It has warmed up to eight degrees this afternoon. I don’t know where the thermometer will end today. But I do know for certain that I would rather be in Scottsdale, Arizona than Galion, Ohio right now! I would much prefer swimming laps in an outdoor pool, with a view to the mountains and desert, instead of wrestling with a snow blower. I would happily trade my navy pea coat, wool watchman’s cap, boots and gloves for khaki cargo shorts, an aged polo shirt, and a pair of sandals. But I’m here in Ohio for now. Fortunately, so is God.
Cold, windy, dark days drive us indoors to the warmth and sanctuary of hearth and home. Activity slows down. Our restless minds naturally gravitate to the future, formulating new plans and goals in the beginning of a new year of possibilities.
This is healthy- focusing on a better, more fulfilling future, when time seems to stand still. For Christians, the month of January can be a bridge to “spiritual remembrance.” The slower pace of life in winter can bring us to God’s heart, if we dare to turn our attention and gaze, to Him.
There is time this month to remember God’s love for us. There is time to reflect on Psalm 139, and its promise that God knew us and loved us, even our names, before the foundation of the world. There is time to reflect on Isaiah’s words about God having our names written on the palms of His hands. And surely there is time to remember Jeremiah’s prediction that God has plans to prosper us, plans to give us a future and a hope.
The more time we spend with God, in these early, cold days of January, the more clearly we will be able to formulate healthy, life giving goals for the coming new year. Remembering who we are, more to the point, “whose we are,” can enable us to move into this new year with renewed hope, energy, and love. Yes, love. Because the more we pray, the more we spend time with God, the more we grow into understanding that God Himself is love, and that God’s love for us can never be deflected, taken, or turned away from us. God’s love for us is real. God’s love is forever. God’s love for His people is eternal.
Listen on these dark, windy nights. Listen for His voice. It is a voice of love. It will pierce the strongest wind. It will shine through the darkness. It is a bridge that will carry you to the Heart where you will always belong. The Heart that Jesus made visible. The Heart that beats, for you, and for me.
Happy New Year to you and your families. May His light and love beckon you to the bridge of spiritual renewal, conversion, and transformation in His Spirit, in 2014.