God is Cleaning the Kitchen...Again.

Winter Snow by Chris Tomblin
Could've come like a mighty storm
With all the strength of a hurricane
You could've come like a forest fire
With the power of HEaven in Your flame

But you came like a winder snow
Quiet and soft and slow
Falling from the sky in the night
To the earth below

You could've swept in like a tidal wave
Or an ocean to ravish our hearts
You could have come through like a roaring flood
To wipe away the things we've scarred

But you came like a winter snow, yes, You did
You were quiet, You were soft and slow
Falling from the sky in the night
To the earth below

Oh no, Your voice wasn't in a bush burning
No, Your voice wasn't in a rushing wind
It was still, it was small, it was hidden

Oh, You came like a winter snow
Quiet and soft and slow
Falling from the sky in the night
To the earth below

Falling, oh yeah, to the earth below
You came falling from the sky in the night
To the earth below

I got to spend part of Christmas break with some of my best frineds. During our time together, Rebecca and Sara played this song for Ashley and me, and the lyrics almost made me cry. I think it gets to the heart of the Christmas story and reminded me that God could have come any way he wanted to save the world. He is all powerful and all mighty. He could have certainly come like a tidal wave or a hurricane - something huge and obvious. Instead, he came in Jesus - a small, fragile baby born and put in the care of a woman who was little more than child herself. He came wrapped in flesh and walked our earth and lived our lives. He died at human hands to sacrifice himself for us - what is more magnificent than that? Certainly, it is not the way the Jews expected their Messiah to come, and had I been in Jerusalem at that time, I'm not confident I would've been able to see God in Jesus. Would I have been willing to look in the right direction?

The song also reminds me of the scripture in 1 Kings 19 which says, "A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn't to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn't in the earthquake; and after the earthquake, fire, but God wasn't in the fire; and after the fire, a gentle and quiet whisper." When Elijah responded to the whisper, he found God. In my own life, I confess that I am bit of a control freak - I like things done my way, in my time, according to my instructions. This character trait/flaw is probably what makes my students call me "strict" and why it makes me cringe to see a benevolent guest wash my dishes or clean my kitchen (they'll never be able to do it as well as I do, right??).

When I struggle with God, it is usually because he is stepping into the kitchen of my heart and trying to do a few dishes. In my head, I know that he loves me and that he is exponentially better at cleaning than I am. I know his way is better - the best - but it is almost never MY way. In the middle of the mess, I look for him to come in with hurricane force and the immediacy of a fire or earthquake, but that is not how God works. He scrubs and polishes and works slowly. He sees the big picture, and he knows that what, in my eyes, is a mess will create complete beauty. He is slow and quiet and soft. I have to look for him and talk with him and let go of my own expectations to see what he is up to. And while I readily admith that the journey is scary, because I know who he is, I know the end will be glorious - I mean just look at his track record!