Wet, Winter Sunday

Walked out of church this afternoon, and this caught me. The traditional scene of a winter day -- cold, wet, and the trees showing the ugly side of otherwise beautiful houses. The absolute desolation, the seemingly haphazard way the "new" portion was attached to the original brick, a stifling gray sky, the dying leaves littering the ground, and the chained dumpster... it all fit into the incredibly chilly temperature that permeated the moment.

But it wasn't reflective of my mood. I was feeling blessed for having been with my class, my friends, and serving my church family in some small way. I got to watch Drew in church today, sitting across the sanctuary, bored in one moment, and engaged the next. He chatted with Paula, and participated. Dressed to nines (for him), it was was as fun as watching a funny show on television.

We had a great lesson about Joseph, and the incredible amount of faith he had to have to follow God's direction and plan for Mary. Faith is living your life with the consequences. Then a reference to Joy on this Joy Sunday of Advent: Two men looked through prison bars, one saw mud and the other saw stars. It is all about perspective, and what you make of it...

So today, I saw a cold, wet scene, and it was just background -- but not my life.