Outside my kitchen window is a brown house. This brown house has an interesting exterior with 2×1 wooden slats that run vertically 18” apart and a 2×1 slat that runs horizontally. On this particular morning the only time I can see the snowflakes that begin to fall is against the dark backdrop of the house. In the snow laden sky, I see no flakes, but as I look at the brown house, they become highly visible, accumulating on the horizontal wood that runs the width of the house. As the snow increases, I begin to see the snowflakes further out. I see them now against my wooded yard, against the surroundings in the background, and then finally against the snow filled clouds that hang over the house. Yes, the snowflakes become evident everywhere around me.

I am reminded of the way God works, the gifts that He gives us. So often we seek to avoid the dark difficulties, but it is in those times when we look directly at them that the gifts of God become visible. If we keep our eyes on the gifts of God, we begin to see them accumulate in the hidden areas, and eventually the not so hidden areas. We appreciate most the gift of God’s peace not because things are bright and cheery. Rather, it is in the backdrop of the darkened difficulties that the purity and beauty of God become evident. The more we train our hearts and our eyes to live in the presence of God, the greater the visibility and experience of peace demonstrates itself both within and without. God invites us to allow Him to infill us with His presence and surround us so that peace is made manifest no matter the situation.

My mind will always go back to the brown house outside my kitchen window when I see the beauty of the snowfall. It is a reminder that in the darkness, God’s provision and peace become most apparent. May you know God’s peace which transcends any circumstance.