People often ask, “Why can’t I see God?” My response to that is, “Why aren’t you looking?” God reveals his divine presence all the time and when we open our eyes, we see that the love and grace of God is all around us.

Today, I was waiting in the car while my wife picked up a few things at the store that we needed for dinner. The car heater was working hard to combat the bitter cold and wind and I was lost in the music playing from my iPod. That is when it happened; when God displayed a glimpse of his goodness and glory. It happened quickly and truthfully, I nearly missed it.

A young mother approached the car parked facing me carrying her young daughter in her arms. The wind was cutting hard across the parking lot and the snow was blowing. I watched as the young woman held her daughter closely and used her body to shield the little girl from the weather.

As the the harsh wind cut across her face, you could see the redness increasing. In spite of her discomfort, the mother placed her child in the car seat, made sure she was comfortable and warm and then climbed into her own seat and finally shut the door on the cold.

It was a scene that happens frequently in cold regions, but it that brief moment it was an image of the great love of God.I was captivated by the precious image of protection and provision. I wondered if the young girl had any idea of the sacrifice her mother was making; if she even understood her mother’s actions.

I also thought about how many times God, like this mother, shielded me from the bitterness of the storm around me, and how many times I missed it. What a wonderful image to see God holding us close to his breast, arms wrapped around us while enduring the storm’s blast on our behalf.

God wants to display his love for us so that we can see the Divine in the world around us and so that we can learn to see God’s actions in our lives more clearly. This was the whole point of the incarnation – that we would see God revealed in Jesus Christ. God is not hiding from us hoping we will survive on false hope. Instead, God is busy revealing love and grace, protection and provision, so that our faith and hope will be firmly fixed in the revelation of God.

It was clear that the mother I saw loved her child, and it is clear the God loves us. Today, is a good day to see God and to celebrate that we are in his arms.