Who doesn't love a snow globe? They have a magical quality to them
that touches young and old. We start off with the still scene, give the globe a
shake and hundreds of snowflakes bounce around. Then they gradually settle back
down creating a new snowy carpeted scene.
Our lives too have changing scenes. Well-being becomes a
barometer altered by the shifting tides of failing health and healing. Relationships
can grow or break down, blossom or fade, heralding emotional fluctuations. A
family's dynamics shift when a member dies or leaves, for whatever reason. They
also alter when there is a birth or a new person joins the family. People's
roles or jobs in life can change bringing new senses of identity and have
financial implications. Moving house, relocating, emigrating or working abroad
bring with them altering parameters to familiar routines.
Like a snow globe we are caught in a maelstrom that requires our
response. And for those of faith, our relationship with God can affect how we
respond. We can bring God into the equation. We can be like the wise man who
built his house on the rock. We can rebuild our lives using the roots of our faith
as foundation stones. The rebuilding may be slow. It may only evolve one brick
at a time. We may not even be able to envisage what the final build will look
like. But, that is ok. We don’t need to know. We just need to trust that we
will get there.
Then, when the snow eventually settles, we will find a new shape
has been created. It won’t be the same as the one before. Life has changed.
But, it will have the unspoken tenets of faith built in to it. Those building
blocks of love, trust and peace enabling us to look to the future again with a
sprinkling of hope.
