“Glory has come to me through them”
(John 17:10).
Winter weather is here on the east coast, and it’s time for many people to enjoy winter sports.
Our pastor is from New York and has been skiing for years. He once preached a New Year’s sermon related to skiing. He mentioned that he and his friends used to enjoy skiing right after a fresh snowfall. They would look at the perfectly unmarred snow, decide what designs they would each like to make, and then enjoy leaving their creative marks. He then asked the congregation to think about what marks we wanted to leave for God in the upcoming year.
The new year is indeed like a clean slate of fresh
snow. It hasn’t been marked yet by
countless tracks of pain. We can’t see
the broken branches and other debris of problems hidden underneath. We haven’t gotten stuck in the slushy and
muddy melting repercussions of our struggles.
Lord willing, we will have some downhill skiing – blessed times
when God gives us enjoyable experiences and respite from our trials. But we will also have times of making long,
arduous, uphill climbs back to the top of the slope.
So what marks will we leave for God on the fresh snow of
this new year? Whether we are experienced
skiers or not, we will have some falls through its ups and downs. But when we
fall, what better imprint to display God’s glory through our suffering than
that of being on our knees, face down in humble submission to His plan for our
days, and arms spread out in praise and worship to the One Who will be with us
through it all.
Prayer: Lord God, as I go through whatever this year
holds for me, I pray that I would leave marks of glory for You, trusting in
Your perfect will for my life and testifying to others of Your power and
strength through my weaknesses. Amen.
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