Footprints in the Snow

“Footprints In The Snow”

“O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. Psalm 131:1-3(ESV)

When I was a child, I spoke like a child; I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child but when it snows I play like a child. Twenty plus inches fell down on this Saturday and I must go out into this amazing blessing of God. I realize there are those of you who disagree with snow being a blessing but I find a silence in the morning snow that you get nowhere else. So as I was walking to see if the morning paper was even there, I mediated on Psalm 131. Our Church does Bible readings and we are reading from Psalms. It will be my turn the following Sunday but because of this snow fall…ah, I won’t go there, it’s only Saturday morning but I have Psalm 131 to read.

It may only be three verses but this Psalm keys in on humility, being content and having confidence in the Lord. These three verses have the contrast of a self that can be puffy and “in-your-face” but rather with the soul that is calm and serene, an illustration of a patient soul with simile of a weaned child with its mother. We have here three verses that can say with assurance to have “hope in the Lord.” In these three verses we can take the stance that there is no dependency on self and no belief that the present time is a prison.

When we do our Bible readings we are encouraged by our Deacon to share something on what we have just read. Either something where the verses have applied themselves to our everyday life to maybe something we might have found in something we have read or seen. I try to find a commentary or two and see if there is something in my life where I can show how God’s Word influence’s me. On this morning, God’s blessing of snow makes me feel like…well…a child. Wanna throw a snowball at something…anything. Alright maybe that ain’t too Christ-like…I still wanna do it.

Anyway, on this snow driven morning I wonder about my “posture” when it comes to people seeing me walk as a Christian man. I mean when it comes to “walking uprightly” do I do it too self-consciously or do I feel like drooping and being hunched over so it looks like a burden? How about “Am I excited as a child in the morning snow, knowing that the news for the morning will be “NO SCHOOL TODAY!!” Am I excited this morning as I know all this snow has to be removed and my back ain’t what it use to be? Or can I wean myself off the notion that my burden is my own and I can’t share it with anyone…even Him!

This may be hard thing to realize but I should be excited about my Christian walk just like a little child. Even if I am a 47 year old man. So if you are taking a quiet morning stroll in the morning, even if it’s been snowing, and start to wonder “Do I need to humbly approach the Cross like a man?” you can refer yourself to what Jesus said in Matthew 18:3 “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Feel like throwing a snowball? I do!! But with the love of Christ. -- Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a frequent contributor to Freedom Fighter

DIGGING DEEPER: Proverbs 11; Genesis 27-28; Matthew 8:18-34

DIG THIS QUOTE: “We must become as little children, Mat 18:3. Our hearts are desirous of worldly things, cry for them, and are fond of them; but, by the grace of God, a soul that is made holy, is weaned from these things. The child is cross and fretful while in the weaning; but in a day or two it cares no longer for milk, and it can bear stronger food. Thus does a converted soul quiet itself under the loss of what it loved, and disappointments in what it hoped for, and is easy whatever happens.” -- Matthew Henry

DETERMINED DIGGING: Level 1 -- Psalm 19:14; Level 2 -- Psalm 27:1-6