Glad Cities

"There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells."
Psalm 46:4

There's a storm coming and I can't help mentioning it.

Not sure when this thing in me started, maybe way back when I was a kid, but the anticipation of a major snow storm always brings me a bit more glee than I care to admit.

True, I am loathe to drive in it, and my glee is directly proportionate to what my 'out' plans are for the day the snow is supposed to arrive. In this case, I have nothing I need to get in a car for after a breakfast meeting on Friday morning. And a drive-to meeting for Saturday was just changed to an online meeting.

Now my happy can kick in fully.

Thanks to the wonders of modern meteorology, there's time enough between now and Friday night to do that quick stock up of groceries, run an outstanding errand or two, and bring in more firewood. Then it's fill up the kettle, hunker on down, and bring on the snow!

Yes. I hear some of you reminding me that often as not the accumulations are much less than predicted, and sometimes the storm fizzles out entirely before it even reaches us. Or the wind blows in an unexpected direction and we get bypassed altogether.

Yes, I hear all of those who don't care for shoveling, in the snow events when it DOES pile up.

And I think another needed caveat it that there are loads of folks, truck drivers and hospital staff and other essential workers who don't get to hunker down and stay safe. And I wish them Godspeed in all their journeys and strength for all they do.

So, yes, I acknowledge all of that.

But there's still a little girl inside of me who's all excited to see what happens this Friday night and Saturday morning.

It's been a fairly demanding week so far, as I expected for this ramping-up-into-January timeframe. And I'm still bumping up against the seasonal dullness that's overtaken our skies for days on end. I'm tired and it's only Thursday.

So maybe part of this is how a snow storm holds me still for a bit.
Holds me still in the midst of the wildness of it.

"Be still
and know that I am God."
Psalm 46:10

In context, that well-known verse is about God being at work in the midst of the uproar. It's about His workings to end war and violence and bring about the time when a river (representing life to the full) will make the city of God (His ultimate place of dwelling for His people)...He will make it 'glad'.

That's me right now. Glad to be in the midst of anything as long as God is holding me.

Stay cozy friends!
We'll see what the weekend brings.