As we approach the winter solstice – the shortest day and longest night – what thoughts and prayers enter your mind as you consider the image above?
December 4, 2008 by David Cope
As we approach the winter solstice – the shortest day and longest night – what thoughts and prayers enter your mind as you consider the image above?
Looking at this picture, I think of the various ways different viewers would see this. To a bird, it’s a frozen TV dinner. To the average person with a home and adequate heat, it’s an interesting reminder that winter is upon us. To someone with a home but no money for heating oil or gas, it’s evokes worry that the pipes will freeze or the family will get sick because it’s so cold. To someone who’s homeless, there is the looming question, “Will I make it through another winter?”
Prayer: Lord, please grant us the compassion and creativity to find ways to help those for whom winter’s cold presents a real and sometimes deadly threat.
This reminds me that God’s beauty exists even when we (in our limited, human minds) think the world is sleeping or dead…
It reminds me of how nature lies dormant for the winter season, taking a well deserved rest in order to ready itself for renewed life in the Spring. Maybe we could learn a lesson from nature and take the time to rest and replenish ourselves so we could have a renewed outlook on life.
Prayer: Dear Lord, in the hustle and bustle of life, may we remember to take the time for rest and reflection in order to renew our hearts, minds and souls.