Winter is a Gift from God - by Tandy Balson

The winter beauty astounds me.  Yes, it is extremely cold outside but I am looking at it from a nice warm house. I stop and thank God for providing protection from the cold.

When the temperature dips to -20°C and below the snow is so fine it’s hard to see.  As I walk past the window, a beam of light highlights sparkling snow that looks like glitter being sprinkled from above. I am compelled to call each person in the house to the exact spot I’d been standing in, so they, too, can experience this incredible sight.

Another morning I awoke to an ice fog. When it lifted, the cold, sunny morning revealed frost covering the bare branches of nearby trees. Set against the azure sky, the effect was breathtaking. Until I moved to Alberta, I had never seen this kind of frost.  The ice crystals have formed on only one side of the branches.  It’s not only on trees.  The antenna on our truck looks like it has a fringe that froze in place as it stretched out in the breeze. I reach for my camera to capture this incredible sight.

Thank you, Lord, for showing me the splendour of your creation. The world around me sparkles like precious diamonds.

I am reminded that God delights in providing blessings in unexpected places. Even in the cold winter of my soul, when the hope of new life seems so far away, he is working for my good. His mercies are new every morning. I will rest in the Lord, knowing that winter is one of his precious gifts.

“He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes.” Psalm 147:16