As dry leaves before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
Leaves blowing in the wind is a classic autumn and winter scene. A cozy cable knit sweater and mug of spiced apple cider also come to mind as you warm your feet in front of a crackling fireplace!
If you have ever been in a hurricane (which I have not), it is far from cozy. Check a couple of Youtube videos out if you have never seen this natural disaster! Yikes!
As the wind picks up, the dried-out leaves are so light they seem to swirl straight up! The comparison here is that the reindeer can nimbly maneuver in the same way at Santa’s beckoning.
When the wind picks up in your life, do you swirl straight up to meet with God for encouragement or go hiding out of sight?
Our sinful nature causes us to have a knee-jerk reaction, and we run away from God, just like Jonah.
Jonah 1:3
3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.
In this instance, God had asked Jonah to go to Ninevah to preach against it.
Has God asked you to do something, and you have run away from the calling, like Jonah?
Perhaps you are going through a season of hardship, like Moses when he fled to Midian because he had killed an Egyptian man, and Pharoah wanted to kill him.
Although he, too, ran away from his troubles instead of seeking God, he encountered the Almighty anyway.
Exodus 3:2-4
2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.”
We all know we can’t really run away from an omnipotent God.
We Christians also know that God loves us and seeks to be our Shepherd in all areas of life, every single day. He is our Father, and we are his adopted children!
I also find it fascinating that the leaves in the burning bush were not consumed. God operates outside of the laws of physics he created to constrain our world.
In our human flesh, we react to our circumstances in a worldly way instead of a spiritual way.
God will not consume you when you swirl up to him in the winds of life. He will sustain you.
Psalm 23:1-6
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
The winds of life have been blowing for thousands of years. Allow them to propel you straight up to our Father, like the dry leaves and Santa’s beautiful reindeer!
SURPRISE PRESENT
Leaf art!
With a little imagination and a few leaves from the yard, these fun Christmas crafts can be adapted to fit any style! You can even use construction paper or scrapbook paper and cut out your leaves if your yard is bare!
Have fun!
