Oh the weather outside is…
dark, wet, cold. It was a day that from the moment I got home from church had me so sleepy it was embarrassing. Especially since my son thought it hilarious. But the house was dry and warm. The coffee was on and all was well.
Well, most was well. We didn’t have any hot water. Once again to the rescue came my son. After a trip to a hardware store to get new elements he returned to make the swap. I watched as he dragged the garden hose around the house, up the steps and to the water heater that has its own sheltered corner of the back porch. As the water drained he then walked down to his grandparents to do something they needed done. By the time he returned the tank was empty.
When he began to remove the first element his “oh” immediately got my attention. As he slightly struggled to remove an element that appeared to have exploded. Mangled and bent he had to work it out of its position. Holding the flashlight I wondered how dangerous or how much damage could have been done when it broke as it did.
When the new element was in and the cover in place he moved to swap out the second element. This one was not mangled but it was beginning to warp. It was close. Replacing it with the new, he put the cover in place and then went to turn the water back on. Hearing the water filling the tank I turned and moved back into the house.
Once my son was finished, I made my way back to my spot in front of my computer. Sitting made the sleepiness return but I still wondered. As I look at the cat curled up on the couch in the room with the wood stove. As I look at the dogs curled up in the floor at my feet. What if, something worse than a blown element had happened?
My writer’s imagination,sleepy as I was, went into over drive. What if, my son had not been here to help me? What if?
What if, Mary had not believed the angel, or had refused God’s will. What if, on that night long ago, there was no baby born in a stable, wrapped in swaddling cloths and placed in a manger? What if the angels had not alerted the shepherds? What if, the Magi had paid no mind to the warning and had told Herod where the child could be found?What sort of world would this be? While over the course of the ages man has done much damage to the message, attempting to pervert it to fit his purposes, the message is still strong.
A message of hope.
That no matter what storms and troubles assail us, tomorrow will be better. There is better coming. There is One who is here to shelter us from the storms and walk with us through the troubles. One who has the power to still the winds and calm the waves.
A message of peace.
That no matter how bad the confusion, the frustration, the aggravation of the moment. The multitude of problems that situations and circumstances may bring, we are not alone. There is One, always here, with arms open wide, ready to offer a peace that can be found nowhere else.
A message of forgiveness.
All mankind, are born with a sin nature. Ever since the fall in the garden, we are sinful. In our thoughts and our actions. There is no sin worse than another, sin is sin. In God’s eyes, they are all the same. The babe born on that night, His arrival heralded by the angels, came to forgive. All that is needed, is acceptance.
A message of light and love. One who came in the darkness, save the light from the star, born a child, died a Savior. One who came to teach, show and live love. The reason.
Words from The Dirt Road 