Winter Getaway?

This first blog of 2012 comes from New Zealand, as we visit our daughter and husband in their country home. It’s a promise of a summer getaway from the Canadian winter. That’s the general idea; not sure if that’s what we’re going to experience!

For our first few days here, temperature was about 18 degrees, while Lethbridge was a balmy 15. Can Canada’s winter be so close to a New Zealand summer? This weekend, about five inches of rain fell with warnings of the adjacent river flooding. Happily it hasn’t.

It is all part of a topsy-turvy world climate, becoming more extreme by the year. I commend our godless society for valiantly trying to shoulder blame for global warming. Those of a less secular orientation would blame God or His impotent usurper, Mother Nature.

Our natural approach is to blame God for difficulty and disaster, but claim merit for success or good fortune. So God gets blamed for much he has nothing to do with, and we take credit for events He has everything to do with!

In fact, we are often responsible for the adversity that afflicts us. Cut adrift from God, we sacrifice the beginning of wisdom, and substitute our distorted thinking. No wonder our lives and the world at large are in such a mess!

Failure to recognize and thank Him begins the retreat from Him. But gratitude for the abundance of life He provides draws us to Him. He is the obvious person with resources to reverse our misfortunes, or support us through them.

So I leave three things with you for 2012.

Seek God’s wisdom for decisions and the results. His foolishness is better than our wisdom.

Accept God as the author of life. He fills existence with meaning and purpose.

Identify Him as our resource during adversity. He gives seemingly pointless events significance.