Great Plains Daily Devotional for 2/13/2021

In the weather forecaster’s admonition

we hunker down safely under two covers at least

breathing into our cuppa tea while the polar

vortex hunkers down on the Midwest.

 

Crossing any threshold doesn’t cross my mind

while hearing tires spinning and brakes squealing

snowplows grumbling and metal shovels scraping.

Indeed, my mind feels content at rest.

 

Then my mind wanders to the thrill

of reaching the summit of the Schilthorn in the

Bernese Alps after deliberately leaving

the pleasant Lauterbrunnen Valley.

 

In this stunning place where the air is thin

we gaze into the fog and as the clouds part

we feel above the earthly realm and know we’ve crossed

another threshold of life. We smile.

 

 Daddy, I see your soul joining mother’s

in the cosmos as dazzling lights above, and yet

fused with our souls high up on this snow peaked alp.

The known grasps the glorious unknown.

Long ago we learned the 3 R’s in school. Reading, writing, and ‘rithmatic have been quite valuable to getting along in life. This morning my husband shared three other R’s that may be of even more value in relationships with others, as well as ourselves and our God. May each “R” be a step to the threshold of the next.

• Recognizing that we live in this time and place for a reason. We have family, friends, a job, and other connections that keep us here. Each day we recognize those who are a part of our lives that bring value into it. We reach out and pray for them.

 

• Realize the benefits of this fallow time of winter. There is more time to rest in the presence of the Divine when there is no lawn to mow or weeds to pull. We can choose to use this time to share stories held deep in the heart with loved ones. This brings us to the next step.

 

• Reconcile with the people that are part of our lives and the four seasons that we live in. Release the need to control and to be right. Can you control the actions of another person? Let alone the daily temperature or amount of snowfall? J We feel the transformative power of the Trinity when we reconcile in a spirit of humility, kindness, and love.

 

Before we know it, we will have moved from the Winter Doldrums and into the Dog Days of Summer. We will cross each threshold when we get to it. But for now, may we accept the gift of today and the blessings of this moment in time.

Know you are precious and held in the warmth of Christ’s love.

God’s peace to you.

Rev. Marta Wheeler
Omaha: St. Paul Benson
mwheeler@greatplainsumc.org

Isaiah 40:21-31
Psalm 47:1-11, 20c
1 Corinthians 9:16-23
Mark 1:29-39