What a crazy season! On top of the ongoing pandemic and unsettling election time in the USA, many of our friends and family members have experienced a severe cold storm with days of long power outages and loss of water. Upheaval on many fronts ushers us into a place of opportunity if we are willing to grasp it. Oftentimes this opportunity looks like a place of simplicity.
Without electricity evenings grow long. Is this an opportunity for simple conversation? Instead of mindless Netflix shows or excessive social media, should we be more intentional about meaningful and heartfelt conversation with our mates and families? Is it an opportunity to share stories of our encounters with God? Is this an opportunity for deepened, two-way conversation with God Himself?
Jesus is the Light of the world (John 8:12). Invite Him into your cold, dark evenings. Ask Him to illuminate any darkness in your soul. Allow Him to direct the flow of words and thoughts and interactions. Simple isn't it? Yet profound.
A powerful, true story: our dear friend, an international sister in Christ was in a cold, dark Asian prison cell in solitary confinement. Once while miserably cold, her faith grew weak. She asked God to prove to her that He was real. An intense heat came over her body—so much heat that she began sweating! Her faith was renewed, keeping her strong in spirit until her release from prison. God is so real! And He desires close interaction with us.
Many of our loved ones have been challenged by loss of water and electricity during this unusual storm. Houses could not be heated. Pipes burst. Water wells froze. In some cities drinking water became contaminated. Hot and cold running water with plenty available for safe drinking is something we are likely to take for granted in our modern society. But many of the 29 million residents of Texas had to live without it for several days.
Has the need for clean, potable water made us more aware of our need for pure, living water? Only Jesus offers us that. In John 4:10 He kindly invites us to ask Him for this living water. He wants us to never thirst again. Only our God can satisfy completely!
And, speaking of clean water, Linda's bio sister in Texas commented that being unable to go to work due to icy roads and no power in her workplace has given her much unexpected time at home—a time for simplicity. It would have been an opportune time for her to mop her floor, scrub her bath, do laundry and wash dishes IF she only had water.
Some 400 years before Jesus was born, the Lord prophesied that He would cleanse us from our sins that were red like scarlet, making them white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). With this cold storm, parts of Texas were covered with 10 inches of pure, white snow. As snow blankets the ground, the world seems quiet, clean, still.
Simply quiet your soul right now. Take this opportunity to worship and to thank our God for being our Light, our Living Water, the One and Only who can cleanse our sins and refresh our spirits. The heart of the matter is this: Jesus is our answer. Only He offers lasting satisfaction.
Interestingly, the written Chinese symbol for crisis is made of two pictures—one for danger, the other for opportunity. This recent, cold storm has indeed brought danger. The last we heard is that nearly 70 precious souls died in the U.S. due to the recent intense cold. We grieve with their families and their friends. We do not underestimate the loss, the terrible inconvenience, and the danger that accompanied the storm. But in the midst of this trial, God has offered lasting opportunities to embrace simple pleasures with our families, to engage in deeper conversations, to enjoy time to think and dream and pray.
May we all seize these opportunities for far longer than it takes to recover from the physical storm. Slow down. Prioritize simplicity. Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10).
Dr. Dan & Linda Wilson
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