As this is being written

As this is being written, the news came out that Punxatawny Phil has not seen his shadow (big surprise), and winter will be winding down soon. Has anyone seen his shadow lately? Even the solar battery that runs my National Weather Service temperature displays is telling me it’s been unable to recharge, and its strength is getting low. Winter is a cloudy season normally, but this year’s January has been a little excessive. But, there is hope. The sun is supposed to reappear this February, giving everyone’s spirits a lift.
For most folks, winter is a time of indoor activities. There are, of course, those who get outdoors skiing or snowboarding. Organizations schedule their annual indoor shows to attract various interests. The “seasons” for TV shows are arranged around the time of the year when people are confined to home due to the bad weather of winter. Add the discomfort of being too cold, and you have a season just to be endured by many.
On the other hand, who can resist the beauty of new fallen snow? Who doesn’t enjoy sipping on a hot cup of cocoa or tea? How many get pleasure out of throwing out seeds for the birds and watching what appears? Even cleaning or organizing a drawer, or maybe a closet, can bring satisfaction at the end of a cloudy day.
As the seasons and years come and go, we too often find ourselves being influenced by things that surround us – almost anyone you talk to is becoming more and more pessimistic, more gloomy. And so much of that mood is because of what is being fed to us by the communications media from outside our homes. So much is due to things that we cannot change, or even influence; nor does it even affect us. We can always rant about things political, our education system, crime, and the moral decay of our society. And the more we rant, the more depressed and pessimistic we get.
But, whoa! We call ourselves Christians. We are comforted by the trust that God is in charge. We Christians are still guided by His laws.
As we read God’s word, we realize how often it mentions the existence of “a remnant”. Are we Christians a modern day “remnant”? No matter, remnants have revived. We still have The Word. We still have His presence. As we discuss the state of our society, as we think we see nothing but deterioration ahead, let’s turn that thinking around. Let’s look to the day when the Holy Spirit enters into more and more of those who presently doubt, who weep, who seek. who feel nothing but despair. There’s joy out there. At the moment it’s hard to see, but it is the source for Hope for everyone. Let’s be patient and steadfast and do our part in the Great Commission, starting in this month of February. “But hope that is seen is no hope at all.             Virginia                                                                            Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have,
We wait for it patiently. Romans:8:24-25