Nov
19
2018
Radiant Heat
Posted in Evangelism 2 Comments
There it was in the middle of the road.
It was left from the first snowfall we had a few days ago.
Snow fell on top of the autumn leaves that did not even have a chance to blow away.
The storm was a treacherous wintry mix.
The evening commute was terrible for almost everyone.
Even with an early dismissal, the school buses took a long time to complete their routes.
My daughter’s fifteen minute commute from work took an hour longer.
It took my son-in-love three hours to get home, when it should have taken twenty minutes.
The storm was expected but the intensity was not.
It was a heavy, wet snow that was difficult to shovel.
My husband was away on business; my youngest daughter shoveled the walkways.
The man we hire to plow our driveway was called.
An unexpected, treacherous storm hit us far earlier than we ever anticipated.
However, it was beautiful as the snow fell.
There is something about the clean whiteness of the snow that is captivating.
There is something about the quiet and the stillness as it falls that takes my breath away.
When I could finally go on my walk again, I saw what the snow plow had left in the street.
As the plow pushed the snow away, large clumps of snow remained.
I smiled as I passed a very large clump of snow that was right near the bus stop.
Clumps of snow are meant to be smashed, I thought to myself.
How many clumps of snow were smashed at that bus stop through the years?
A boot stands ready to smash any snow left by the plow.
The clump of snow calls to a child or a child at heart.
How I wanted to smash that clump of snow with my sneaker as I walked.
I knew that one of the neighborhood children would smash it as they waited for the bus.
My own children did that when they were at the bus stop.
A large clump of snow is waiting for a good strong boot to level it.
Or so it seems.
I walked on and thought about puddles that are meant to stomp in .
I thought of piles of leaves that are meant to jump in.
I thought of snowflakes that are meant to catch on your tongue.
I thought of raindrops that are meant to run between.
Things just seem to call to us.
They are there to be enjoyed.
God created the world for His Glory and for our pleasure.
God must be delighted when we find pleasure in what He has made.
Three days after the first snowfall, as the temperature got warmer, the snow began to melt.
I happened to notice the way the snow melts as I was closing the blinds in the family room.
The snow melts outward.
Over and over I saw the same pattern.
The snow had melted all around our house but was still on the ground father away.
The snow had melted all around the trees but was still on the ground beyond them.
I was sure it had something to do with heat.
I wondered if my assumption might be correct.
Common sense says that the shade of a tree will help retain snow, and snow exposed to sunlight in open areas will melt. This typically is the case in regions where winter temperatures are below freezing, such as the Northeast, Midwest and most of central and eastern Canada. But in Mediterranean climates – where the average winter temperatures usually are above 30 degrees Fahrenheit – a different phenomenon occurs. Snow tends to melt under the tree canopy and stay more intact in open meadows or gaps in a forest.
This happens in part because trees in warmer, maritime forests radiate heat in the form of long-wave radiation to a greater degree than the sky does. Heat radiating from the trees contributes to snow melting under the canopy first. (http://www.washington.edu/news/2013/11/13/snow-melts-faster-under-trees-than-in-open-areas-in-mild-climates/)
Heat radiating from the trees contributes to snow melting under the canopy first.
The same must be true of a house as well.
That got me thinking.
Does my home radiate warmth?
Are our homes places where the warmth of love radiates out to others?
Are our homes places where the warmth can melt the coldest heart?
Is that warmth emitted to neighbors and strangers?
Do we have a metaphorical ring of warmth around us because of God’s love?
If trees radiate heat, which melts the snow around it, what does the warmth of Christ do?
How do we emit His warmth and care to others?
His love and His compassion through us can melt the iciest heart.
Can you picture the circle around each of us as we radiate His love to others?
He sends his word and melts them; he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.(Psalm 147:18)
Notice the way the snow melts around your house and your trees, if you are in a snowy area.
Do you see the circle that radiates outward?
Can you imagine that same circle of warmth radiating from you?
That radiant warmth happens because of the Lord Jesus.
God’s Word can melt the coldest heart.
The breeze of His Spirit wafts through.
Living Water flows.
Others can feel His warmth and His love when they are around you.
It is not your warmth but His.
It is not released because of anything you did, but rather because of what God does.
The world may be icy around you, but near you, there is radiant heat.
The radiant heat of God’s love.
Who needs some of His radiant heat today?
Gina, your home is one of the warmest I know, and it’s because you radiate God’s love. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Thank you, Sue, for your sweet words! You are always welcome in my home. How wonderful it is to study God’s Word together there. May we all radiate His love to others.
Gina