I am not a big fan of cold snowy weather.  But instead of complaining, I try to think back to a trip we made several years ago to visit our son and his family who were living in Armenia.  Armenia is a little mountainous country located just to the north of Iran and to the east of Turkey.  For most of the last century it was part of the Soviet Union.  Although the country is not rich in natural resources, it was relatively prosperous because of its industrious people.

When the Soviet Union collapsed most of the industries also failed.  Soon afterwards there was a regional war that further crippled the economy.  Electrical energy often only flowed for an hour or two a day.  There was very little heating fuel of any type.  Many people passed the winters with little or no heat in their homes.

The temperatures in Armenia are very similar to those here in Ohio.  Some of the people in the capital city of Yerevan tried to heat with little home made wood burning stoves.  But soon most of the trees in the surrounding areas were gone, leaving the hillsides bare and desolate.  No dependable heat meant long winters of wrapping in blankets and waiting for spring to come.

Electricity now flows around the clock in Armenia, and conditions have improved since the days just after the collapse of the Soviet Union.  However, heating fuel is still very expensive in a country where people make far less in a day than many people here in the United States make in an hour.   

Our son was employed by the US Embassy.  They provided him and his family a home similar to those in the United States.  They had adequate heat and other necessities. 

We visited Armenia in October.  The trees were bright with reds, oranges, and browns.  Apples and other fall fruits were plentiful.  The first snows of the years were falling in the high mountains that were visible from our son’s house.   One day an Armenian friend visited our children's home.  Marie, my daughter-in-law, casually remarked that she was looking forward to winter with the cold and snow.  Her friend replied, “That’s because you have heat in your house.”

I hope I never forget those words.  I have heat in my house.  Everyone I know here in Ohio has some kind of heat in his or her house.  We may complain about the rising cost of natural gas, propane, fuel oil, electricity, or whatever we use for heat, but we just assume we will have heat in our houses.

It’s so easy to take home heating for granted.  We will be more appreciative if we realize that in some parts of the world a warm home is not normal at all.  Once we realize that we are blessed, it changes our attitude and allows us to truly enjoy what we have instead of complaining about what we don’t have.

Out the east window of our son’s home I could plainly see Mount Ararat, which is located in the country of Turkey.  According to the Bible, Noah’s ark rested on Mount Ararat following the great flood.  At that time, God placed a rainbow in the sky to remind us of his eternal faithfulness. 

We should all remember that everything we have is a gift from God.  He will always be faithful.  We may not always have heat in our home, but God will never leave us nor forsake us.  Just like our blessings, it is easy to take God for granted.  As we begin this new year it is a good time to seek God in a new and special way.