Icy Winter Night

It was March of 1994 and nature was deciding if it wanted to be Winter or Spring. As night fell, the fog set in and covered the area around our home with a dense, thick cloud of mist that caused the street light to flicker like a star millions of miles away. The night also allowed the coolness of the earth to pull the temperatures back down and they soon began to fall below freezing. The effect was stunning. As the fog touched the freezing earth, it too began to freeze and a sparkling, glimmering vale covered the ground, the trees and all else that was out that night. The roads became slick, so the traffic quieted for the evening. A fire was lit in the hearth. It was quiet and beautiful and I went to bed knowing that it was indeed a peaceful evening on earth.

I awoke suddenly to the sound of a shotgun just outside of my window. I glanced at the clock, but it was dark indicating that the electricity was out. I hurried to the den to look out and see if I could see what had happened. A little further away, the shotgun went off again. As my eyes began to focus, it became clear what was happening. The trees surrounding my home were beginning to collapse under the weight of the ice that had been building up for the last several hours. The shotgun was the sound of exploding branches, sometimes even whole trees, that snapped like twigs under the slow but relentless force of the ice freezing on their surfaces. The beautiful glimmering veneer had become an icy weight of destruction. The quiet calm had been but an illusion of peace. The remainder of the night was spent in restless prayer for the safety of my family and my home.

We live in a country at peace. There are governments to protect us, laws to govern us, policies and procedures to manage every situation that might disturb the delicate balance of our lives. We have corporate mission statements that promote value and service; we have government commissions to ensure equality for all. We have a low unemployment rate. We have a record Stock Market.... And last year, the number of kids under the age of 15 killed by gunfire was 12 times higher than all other industrialized nations, combined. (Center for Disease Control).

We live in a country at peace? We live in an icy veneer. We live in a fog that is so dark and pervasive that we cannot even recognize its danger because we cannot see further than the tips of our own lives.

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." Proverbs 16:25

We live in a country at peace? We can. But it cannot be of our own making. The ways we have chosen have provided a veneer of peace, but it is a weak and shallow veneer at best. It is a veneer that glosses over moral lapses, racial differences and social responsibilities with glimmering phrases and sparkling platitudes. It is a veneer that gives the illusion of peace but contains the elements of destruction. It is the way of man and not of God. God, Forgive our country. We have moved so far from You that we no longer know how to turn back. We have created a nation so self-focused that we no longer even look for You. Place within us the warmth of who You are. Melt away our own illusions of what is right and wrong. Forgive us, Restore us, Heal us. Amen.

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