HAPPINESS DOESN'T JUST HAPPEN

Winter in Minnesota is in full swing. The temperatures have been below zero, plenty of snow has fallen, the wind chills have caused the thermometer to dip even lower; and oh yes, the sun is only out for a little over eight hours a day. Honestly, winter is my least favorite of the four seasons. Now, that’s not to say I don’t enjoy it, but it takes a little more time getting used to it.

Thankfully, there are many ways to get out and enjoy the season; for some that means firing up a snowmobile and motoring their way through field and woods. For others, they may get out on one of the thousands of lakes and ice fish. For my boys, they strap on a pair of skis or grab a snowboard and hit the slopes. My wife and I like to take hikes through the woods with our dog. My favorite thing about hiking in the winter is that you can tell who or what has been there before you. There may be boot or snowshoe tracks from other hikers, maybe a cross country ski trail, or the many different animal tracks that tell of what populates the area - -  one never knows what you’ll see.

                 

The cold and snow create their challenges, but in our civilization, there are ways to overcome those challenges. The technical advances in clothing help overcome the frigid temperatures. The vast array of equipment not limited to, but include snowmobiles, skis, and snowshoes provide many opportunities to get out and enjoy creation. One of the unique challenges to overcome in winter is the lack of daylight. A friend of mine suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is caused from the lack of sunlight. Thankfully, there is a lamp for your home that simulates sunlight.

Geared up and ready for fun.

Working through challenges can be very rewarding and usually there are resources available to get through them. God wants us to be happy, but He’s not always going to serve it on a silver platter; sometimes we have to help set the table.

Ecclesiastes 3: 12-13 So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

LIGHTEN YOUR LOAD

A couple of snow storms passed through our area last week; three inches of snow fell one day and five inches fell a few days later. That’s not a huge ordeal for the upper Midwest; in fact, three inches of snow really isn’t that much for us. Sure, it's enough to shovel, mess up the roads for a day, and maybe we even get to break out the snow blower, but not much more than that. Now, a snow fall of five inches on top of the three inches already there, that really starts to build up. Initially, it’s very peaceful, the fresh coating of snow absorbs a lot of noise, and everything is bright from the fresh white snow. However, eight inches of snow can have a lot of weight to it. Some of the strains from the snow fall come in several forms; noise from all the snow blowers, sore muscles from shoveling, or a dented car bumper from sliding into something that doesn’t move. Over time, those things quiet down, heal, or can be repaired, until the next storm.

This picture displays how the weight of the snow is a burden on the pine. Photo credit: Shakyphotography.com

There are many pine trees in our yard. One of the characteristics I like about them is that they keep their needles year-round. In the winter, they have a deep green foliage, which is a nice contrast to the bright white snow. The downfall of keeping their foliage year-round is that there’s more area for the snow to gather on, thus adding a lot of weight. It’s not obvious at first, but over the years that extra weight has broken many branches on the pine trees. The oaks and maples in our yard shed their leaves in the fall, leaving just the spindly branches. These branches don’t have nearly as much mass as the pine trees and can handle the weight of the snow without breaking -- sometimes it’s beneficial to get rid of the extra layers in life to better handle these storms.

From years of burden you can see how several branches have been broken.

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

BE PREPARED

In the upper Midwest, it’s going to be a very cold week. In some areas, the temperature during the day won’t even get above zero degrees Fahrenheit (that’s -17 Celsius)! My job requires me to work outside on occasion, especially when it’s extremely hot and cold, as more stuff tends to break under those conditions. Working outside and being an outdoor enthusiast, I’ve purchased the correct gear and clothing needed to do my job effectively and still enjoy the outdoors. That reminds me of a time when I was learning what it meant to be prepared.

As a boy, my father encouraged me to join cub scouts; in fact, he encouraged all us boys to join. As a parent now, looking back it made a lot of sense - four boys within 5 years meant a lot of energy, and energy meant things were going to get broken. Scouts gave us the opportunity to get out of the house, go camping, and learn many life skills. Around middle school age, one would transition from cub scouts to boy scouts.

Boy scouts was more intense with harder life skill challenges, longer hikes, and more extreme camping situations. On one occasion, we went on a winter camping trip. I don’t remember the exact temperature, but it was cold! The year was close to 1982 and the camping gear was not as advanced as it is now. The scout leaders (my dad being one of them) gave us advice on ways to try and stay warm. Some of the options were; put newspaper on the ground first, foam pads for comfort, furniture pads for a layer of warmth, a crummy sleeping bag (they didn’t recommend a crummy one, but that’s what I had), and blankets from home for more warmth. It was quite a sight as we set up camp. There were many different colors and styles of little one man tents; newspaper and plastic underneath them, with blankets and sleeping bags spilling out the half-zippered doors. After dinner, we went for a short hike to enjoy the winter wonderland, and then eagerly retreated to our tents for the night.

There was chatter among us scouts as we settled into our personal tents. It didn’t take long and the temperature started to drop, and so did the eagerness about winter camping. The chatter changed from talking through our teeth and then shivering started to overtake our bodies. I made it a few hours and then couldn’t take anymore. I grabbed my sleeping bag, with my head hung low, and headed to the cabin where the adult leaders were sleeping. To my relief, there was several other scouts already in there.
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When morning arrived, there was one scout left in his tent. We went out to check on him, thinking we would be scraping his frozen body from the ground, but he was fast asleep and looked very comfortable. After looking at his gear, he had a state of the art sleeping bag and ground coverings to keep him warm. It was obvious he was better prepared and therefore reaped the rewards of his efforts.

Mark 13: 33-35 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task. And tells the one at the door to keep watch. Therefore, keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back-whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn.

OH CHRISTMAS TREE

Here it is, December in the upper Midwest. The air is cold, there’s some snow on the ground, and…it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.  People are decorating the outside of their homes with lights and nativity scenes. Radio stations are playing plenty of Christmas music to get you in the mood and yes, people are putting up Christmas trees in their home.

Some trees are artificial; quick to set up, easy to take down, and no mess from the actual live, pine needles. Well, this is the Timber of Faith blog, and what kind of timber enthusiast would I be if I allowed an artificial tree to be set up in my home? A fake one, just like the fake Christmas trees, that’s what I’d be.  (Yes, I just answered my own question).

Ever since I’ve lived on my own and able to have my own Christmas tree, it’s been a real one. I love the smell of a real tree, and it’s kind of cool for me to bring the woods into the home. The first one came from a fellow that worked with my dad. This guy had a tree farm and would bring the trees to work pre-wrapped in plastic mesh. My dad was kind enough to bring one home for my wife and I and help set it up. We put the tree in the stand and then cut away the plastic mesh. The branches slowly sprawled out into the living room. My dad recommended letting it warm up so the branches would relax and completely spread out before decorating it, so we did. By the next morning, the tree was completely relaxed and it was as wide as it was tall. Our living room was pretty small back then, so there was a coach, a TV in the corner, and this immense tree taking over the rest of the space. From then on, we decided we would pick out our own tree.

Right away we started the tradition of cutting down our own tree. We’d travel to different tree farms each year with different family members; picking out the perfect tree and drinking hot chocolate. It was quite fun. As time went on and after our boys were born, they’d come along too. The boys would help cut down the tree and get into snowball fights, we’d take pictures and videotape the whole experience. These were Normal Rockwell moments. Sure, a lot of the time it was freezing cold, someone would have to go to the bathroom, or the hot chocolate was way too hot for the kids, but they were all great moments to me. As time went on the family voted (against me) to not cut down our own tree anymore. Yes, I stomped my feet and threw a tantrum.

One of the last times we cut down a tree. 

Now we go to a local tree lot and pick out the perfect “pre-cut” tree. It’s still a real tree and it still makes the house smell wonderful. The boys don’t come with anymore, they’re in high school and college and have other things to focus on, so it’s the wife and I, and that’s just fine by me. I look forward to the time when I can drag the grandkids to a tree farm, cut down a Christmas tree, burn our lips on hot chocolate that’s way too hot, and deliver a tree that’s way too big for their living room.

Mighty Lumberjacks

1 Peter 3:3-4 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great spirit in God's sight.