Tuesday, November 26, 2013

WINDOW WATCHING

Baxter loves to look out the window. He has different reactions to the view. Sometimes when the birds are active, he is darting about, ears perked, chirping and pawing at the window. If another cat comes into the yard, he goes ballistic. This is serious business for him. He stalks it, and if the critter decides to come face to face on the glass with Baxter, then it’s war. Baxter hisses, spits, claws at the pane and gets thoroughly upset, remaining agitated long after the fellow feline has moved on.


But sometimes Baxter just sits quietly and stares. I don’t know what he is seeing, but he seems to find a view that brings him peace and contentment. He will stay this way for a long time, if he is undisturbed. He almost falls into a trance. If I come up to him on the windowsill and pet him at these times, he purrs and purrs. He’s the sight and sound of complete tranquility.


Perhaps we need to find this kind of view for ourselves. Especially as we enter into the hustle and bustle of preparations for the Christmas holiday, we can get lost in all the planning and activity. There is so much to do that we hurry through life doing it all. We forget the reason for the season. We forget to look for the marks of Christmas in the world around us -- peace, joy, wonder, blessing. We see only all the other cats of Christmas invading our territory at the grocery store, the mall, or on the road, and our dander is raised. Why are they in my way? How dare them compete with me for the same stuff!


"And the Word became flesh and lived among us…” but we have to look for it. We can’t see this Christ if we are preoccupied with ourselves and our agenda. We need to clear the view of distractions from our likes and dislikes, our social obligations and society’s expectations, and look for the beauty that lies hidden in all the hassles. Stop and stare at the quiet wonder of a soft snowfall. Listen to the silence when everyone has gone to bed. Feel the warmth of a nice cup of tea or cocoa. Appreciate the kind word, the courteous gesture, the heartfelt greeting, the hopeful songs of the season. These are the signs that He lives among us, sharing our lot and lightening its burdens. When we take the time to recognize them, they calm us, fascinate us, and open for us a new world where peace, joy, wonder and blessing are still possible.

Follow Baxter’s example. Look outside your world, and see the small but wonderful beauty of the divine.