The first winter in our new home, I dreamed of cozy blankets, hot cocoa, snowfall and the sounds of a crackling fire.
Then the season came, and I was hit with the reality that the leaves fall, and the barren trees expose all that was once hidden. Our neighbor’s junk, previously masked with beautiful fall foliage, was now on display, tainting my pretty view.
So, what is our response when our vision of blankets, cocoa and comfort are traded in for the discomfort of what is really lurking in our own backyard?
When the mess of others lowers our own property value and changes our personal view, do we simply close the blinds, shelter in place and pray for snow cover? When the harshness of winter seeks to divide, will we instead throw open the blinds, pack up our cocoa and cross the street in the bitter cold?
When the world’s brokenness comes close to home, impacts us, maybe even hurts us, let’s pray that love, not self-preservation, will always compel us (Phil. 2:3-4).
Prayer + Reflection
- Pray that the church would be mobilized—that we would lay down our rights, cross streets and bridge divides.
- Pray for perseverance through the pains of ministry so we may see springtime and new life birthed in our communities.
- Pray to see not only what nature has exposed, but also—with supernatural vision—to see all people as image-bearers of God.
