I grew up in West Virginia, I loved when it snowed! I have a lot of great memories of having fun in the snow. I would sled, ski and ice skate with friends. We would lay in the snow and make snow angels, then snow ball battles. Before you knew it, we were all working together to make a snow man. We would roll a snowball in the snow, until it was big enough, to be the base of the snow man. Then, another snowball would be the middle and then, the head. We would use coal or rocks for the nose, the eyes and the mouth. I would find some sticks for the arms and gloves for the hands. Sometimes, we would put a scarf around the neck and a cap on the head.
When it would get cold enough for the pond to freeze we would go ice skating. One winter night, I was ice skating on the pond with other kids. I went under the bridge and deeper into the woods, the further I got from the other kids, the quieter it got. I mean really quiet, the only sound I could hear was my breathing. I could see the ice on the trees, through the moonlight. It was a winter wonderland of beauty and solitude.
I also remember, going with my parents to buy a Christmas tree. I miss having a real Christmas tree. Now days, I just pull our poor little plastic tree out of the garage. Here is an excerpt from Max Lucado’s book, Because of Bethlehem.
“The Christmas tree hunt is on. Families are entering tents and patrolling sidewalks. They lift limbs and examine needles. They measure. They ponder. They consider. They barter. The tree can’t be too tall or too short. It needs to fit the room and the budget. It must be full yet not dense, mature but not dry. A noble fir for some. A Douglas fir or Virginia pine for others. The preferences are different, but the desire is the same. We want the perfect Christmas tree.
What you do for a tree, God does for you. He picked you. Do you purchase the first tree you see? Of course not. You search for the right one. You walk the rows. You lift several up and set them down. You examine them from all angles until you decide, This one is perfect. You have a place in mind where the tree will be placed.
God does the same. He knows just the place where you’ll be placed. He has a barren living room in desperate need of warmth and joy. A corner of the world needs some color. He selected you with that place in mind. He picked you and then he paid the price to take you home. He purchased you. We don’t ask the tree-lot owner to give us the tree for free. The kid who loads the tree in the trunk doesn’t shell out the cash; we do. We make the necessary payment. God did the same for you. “God bought you with a high price” (1 Cor. 6: 20). And one day he will bring you to his home but not yet. He has work for you to do. God made you on purpose with a purpose.”