Well, how about those few days before Christmas (December 22-24)? When we woke up Thursday morning, the hustle and bustle of the season was in full effect. Most of us were in a hurry trying to get last minute Christmas gifts, or fighting the crowds at the grocery store to get food for Christmas dinner. There were Christmas parties to attend, baking to do, presents to wrap, cleaning to do etc., all on top of our regular every day activities, and I don't know about you but I was tired! I can honestly say that I was OK, but life just seemed a little rough at the time, and Christmas was on the way! No matter what, it just kept getting closer and closer, and then Thursday night came and we got a snowstorm. Not only did we get a snowstorm, but we got high winds as well so it became dangerously cold outside and I think most of us stayed in the house unless we absolutely had to go out. So why do you think this happened?
Well, in my mind, I think that this was God's way of sitting us down and forcing us to slow down. He forced us to reevaluate our plans and prioritize what needed to be done and what could wait, because if we did have to go out in that cold, we were going to get everything done all at once. He also gave some of us a chance to catch up on laundry, or on the dishes after all that baking. He allowed us to sit down, take a break, and breathe for a minute, and maybe if you're like me, you even had a chance to catch up on some of your TV shows that you've been missing. I even had time to organize the spice cupboard in the kitchen and clean it out. It was a relief to have this time, and it felt pretty good after the last few weeks of chaos that flew by so fast!
I also believe that God gave us this time to slow down so that we could refocus on Him. After all, He is the REASON for the Season, and His birth is the reason that we celebrate! I have to tell you that He actually turned the TV off on me Christmas Eve Day and reminded me that we needed to spend time together. The show that I was watching actually turned off and wouldn't play again for a couple hours afterwards. At first, I was disappointed and I sat there looking crazy for a short time wondering, "What do I do now,?" and it was in that moment that God spoke to me and gave me the words to write down that I am typing today. So, with that being said, lets join together and thank God today for that much needed break, one that He provided by sending a storm!