HOARFROST

It’s December and the sun stays low in the sky. Mornings are crisp. As I walk I see my breath. Then suddenly my breath is taken away as I see a field of grass covered with hoarfrost. Such beauty. Such starkness. Tall stalks that had turned brown in the fall seem to stand more upright as they are covered with frost. They glisten even without the sun shining upon them.

Not far away, under the redwoods there is no frost. There is shelter. There is peace. There is serenity. Shafts of light cut through the almighty redwoods. A deer carefully tiptoes through the ferns.

One could desire to always live in the shelter of The Almighty – to always experience peace and tranquility. Yet, for some, that is not where they are called to live. Some are called to live in the meadow, exposed to the elements. It would be tempting to cry out “It’s not fair! I want to be protected. Life is too hard.” Yet some accept their lot in life, never complaining, and when the cold wind blows they stand strong and beautiful like stalks covered with hoarfrost.

I’m reminded of a friend named Gladys. Gladys had a hard life. She was married young to an abusive husband. She outlived eight of her ten children – several died in childhood, her only daughter died at three. But Gladys didn’t complain. Although tough on the outside, not putting up with whiners, she was deeply compassionate for the helpless, especially for suffering children. God clothed her with a beauty that withstood the storms of life and even when the sun wasn’t shining she glistened like stalks covered with hoarfrost.