It’s been easy for me in the political and cultural tempest we live in to wonder if God isn’t tired of us. I’ve thought lately that I haven’t seen God’s hand in the workings of America very much in the last months. People seem angrier, more fearful, less loving, and I’ve wondered if God has turned us over to sin for a season.
With this attitude, we’ve been laying low at our house. I’ve been writing a lot, we’ve been doing small projects. Nearly every day we take a walk around our neighborhood for exercise. And that’s when I first began to notice it. We walk in the daytime, and lately every day we walk, we notice another house sporting Christmas lights – strings of lights newly hung on the eves, wreaths and plastic Santas, old fashioned snowmen and new, air-filled scenes of holiday cheer. Three houses on our route have ornate, 3D nativity scenes. Many, many have decorated trees in the windows. And this started well before Thanksgiving. Yes, we are new to the neighborhood, but we certainly didn’t see this many decorations up last year. We were out after dark on the day after Thanksgiving and were surprised by the number of houses throughout town who have decorated houses and yards.
Then it hit me, maybe I’ve just been missing how God is working. I’ve been wanting ‘high dollar’, extravagant examples of God With Us. I’ve been looking for the equal to the Red Sea parting or the shining arrival of Gabriel or Michael announcing a dramatic act of God to reassure me that He is near. Instead, maybe the way God is moving among us right now is to speak quietly in each of His people separately, whispering hope and stirring simple, normal hearts to spend a little more time this year on the tree, put up just one extra set of lights, do something small but beautiful to spread the joy that He offers. One day as we were walking, a lady a few blocks over was putting up a line of candy canes to add to her already festive and fun yard decorations. Though we don’t know her, we stopped to compliment her on how pretty her yard was looking. She told us, “We don’t have a lot of money to give to charities and my husband isn’t well and is facing surgery soon, but what we do have is this yard and these decorations. It’s my way of giving to our community.”
Amen. I heard God’s voice in her words. I see God’s love in the sparkling lights. I hope you enjoy the Christmas season this year. And if you drive by our house and see our outdoor lights, I hope you hear God’s voice telling you He loves you!
