People who actually live where it snows much of the winter
laugh at our excitement. To them, snow is just a seasonal obligation. They
shovel it out of the way and keep on going. They put on chains—kept in readiness
in their trunk—and drive wherever the snowplows have cleared the path. They
deal with it, not as a blessed sight, but as an ordinary, normal occurrence.
Normal occurrences often fall into the category of
non-spectacular, regular, where the awe gets quickly replaced with life. What
we see as incredible and stop our lives to relish, they see as an obstacle to
be pushed aside in order to keep life going.
Occasional sights are far more inspiring to those who rarely
get such glimpses than they are to those who deal with them regularly. Whether
it’s snow, mountains, oceans, skyscrapers, airplanes, horses, music, the
difficulty lies in keeping the experience from becoming ordinary.
One of the hazards of knowing God for a long time is losing
the impact of who He is. Listen to new believers whose excitement in
discovering God’s love is overwhelming. They burst with delight from each
moment they spend with Him. Their prayers are fresh and personal, honest and hopeful.
Their worship is free and unencumbered. The Bible is alive and inspiring. Us
older believers are much more reserved. We carry out the duties of our service
with the dull obligation of shoveling snow. We miss the beauty by the routine.
This is the hundredth time we’ve been at this very same place, doing the very
same task. All we want to do is get done.I want to be excited to see snow. I want to dance with the flurries. I want to anticipate the beauty to come. And yes, I even want to build a snowman! But I also want to live with such freshness with my God that He still thrills me by just being there.
Lord, I’ve known you all my life. I do not want that fact to
condition me to ever lose sight of how great You are!