Recently I was driving into work when I saw a father and his daughter waiting at the bus stop. I had seen them before; she appears to be around six or seven years of age and her father always accompanies her to the bus stop and waits with her till she boards the bus. Sometimes he stands by himself while his daughter and other waiting children run and play around him. This particular morning was very cold and they were the only ones waiting outside for the bus. The little girl had her arms crossed, trying to keep warm, while her father stood behind her to block the wind. He adjusted her coat to make sure it was zipped to the top and that her hood was snug. Finally, he took off his outer jacket and was wrapping it around his daughter. I knew he must be cold being outside in just a flannel shirt, but his focus was on his daughter. The image of the two of them struck me as an apt visual metaphor of God.
Sometimes the circumstances of life are bitter and we might feel cold and alone, but God is there with us. God didn’t cause the troubles and doesn’t always take them away. But what we can count on, is that whenever we do find ourselves out in the cold, God is there with us. God is faithful and, whatever we are experiencing, He is there with us.
The father I saw that morning couldn’t completely take the cold from his daughter. But even more important than his attempts to shield the wind and shelter her in his jacket, was the inner warmth he offered through relationship. The cold grows more bitter alone.
Whether we face difficult moments or times of celebration, we tend to focus on the circumstances themselves. We can lose sight of God. But we know better; God has always been faithful to us. We have known the inner joy and warmth of God’s presence seeing us through the ups and downs that have come. Make sure you focus on God’s presence and not the ever-changing circumstances around you. Spend time each day giving thanks for a Heavenly Father who is there for you while you enjoy the sunny days, and is there to offer shelter when you experience the wintry ones.
Rev. Wendy Lambert, Senior Executive Pastor
