Be strong and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the Lord.
Psalm 31:24
The extreme cold seems to have brought with it silence and stillness, as if it has us all in a kind of chokehold. Nothing moves in the early hour. Even the fierce wind has abated and I imagine the neighborhood around me holding its breath, not daring to step out into this arctic morning.
Then, braving the deathlike chill, a chirping bird.
I cannot see him, but I know he is tiny. One of those sparrows whom God loves. And I am in awe of the vulnerability of that small warm body singing sweetness and exuberance into this frozen landscape.
How can I not be encouraged by such cheerfulness?
The sun begins to shine, its brightness a gift against the harsh cold and I find strength to face into the day knowing that these signs of God’s presence are to be found all along the way.
