Advent Reflection

We had the first snow of the season here a couple of weeks ago and this year I am determined to change my perspective on the cold and darker months. It really was a lovely snowfall.

My family baked, snuggled and went to bed early. I laid in the dark wrapped in my blanket, basking in the incredible silence that accompanies the flurries. I listened to the flakes piling up and the sound of a plow scraping down the street. The next day I decided to make my Advent wreath and cheerfully clipped and gathered the beautiful things that grow and dwell alongside us in our little woods.

I planned to make the wreath out of grapevine at first but, I waited too long to trim it and found that the branches were brittle and broke when tested. So I used the branches of the vines climbing the wooden fence instead. They were half alive and half dead. The newly surrendered portions were perfectly malleable and able to be assembled into quite a nice wreath!

As I wound and secured the vines with twine, God whispered to my soul. He asked that I would give him my heart in such a state. Not too green to be sustained, not so hard that it breaks when pressed. To die to myself enough to give, to readily bend to his will and become alive in Spirit. To be fashioned from kindling into a thing of beauty. To place my life in his masterful hands and let him transform it through his boundless creativity. A rugged halo of branches adorned with the gifts hand-picked and bestowed upon by its maker. Built up with noble sheltering pine and brightened with cheerful berries.

This wreath was my way to make peace with this season and I am eager for the beauty of God’s creation and the lessons still to come.

❤ Cait

 

 

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