White, starry snowflakes sprinkled down from the silver sky outside the church windows. Sitting in our pews, we were surrounded by this beautiful, gracious snowfall giving us a feeling of peace and comfort. It seemed like the chapel was a scene in the middle of a snow globe. But before this precious sight, our chapel globe was picked up and shaken leaving us to wonder what will remain once the snow settled to the ground.

Recently, our spiritual lives were turned upside down. We received news that our pastor and his wife, Pastor Bob and Sally Bardin, were leaving the congregation to follow a new calling to move back home with family in North Carolina. This left us sad, unsure and unclear of what God had planned for us in the future. However, not only were our lives shaken, so were our pastors with the bittersweet reality of venturing towards a chapter that’s yet to be read.

But last Sunday, the shaking stopped. Our snow globe stood still as the healing snowfall gave us hope. We welcomed with open arms our new pastor and his wife, Sean and Colleen Walker. The snow will continue to fall for a while longer, but once the air is clear, a beautiful scene will surely be revealed.

Sean too experienced the snow globe effect. He was called to be a minister of Christ at a time that was inconvenient and challenging. But since his call came from God, the only option was to surrender and allow his life to be shaken. He trusted once the snow settled, his new place, as a pastor would appear. And it did.

When we’re called by God to make a change for the greater good, He shakes up our life in the snow globe. Anything familiar is rattled to our core moving us in many, different directions. Causing white out conditions, we can hardly see what’s in front of us creating anxiety and distress. We are afraid of crashing leading to pain and suffering. There’s a feeling of losing control not knowing what the future holds.

But when the shaking stops, God’s grace will gently fall upon our souls giving our hearts and minds rest. Then, a beautiful, calm and peaceful scene in the snow globe will appear. Yes, it’s frightening when our world is shaken, but when we follow the call, God makes sure the reality revealed is exactly what is meant to be.

If we resist God’s urge to shake our globes, we miss the opportunity to transform our life and see the depths of who we really are. If we fight, our globe might fall crashing to floor breaking into a million pieces. Instead of using our energy to fulfill our calling, we use our energy to heal our hearts.

When God calls you, surrender. Let Him shake your snow globe, even if it shakes hard. Feel the healing effects of the snow falling gently on your mind, body and soul. Trust that once the snow settles, the landscape revealed will be bright and wonderful.

In order to contribute to making this world a loving and more peaceful place, we must be shaken. We must be transformed. And allow the sparkly snowflakes to heal and change your life into something greater. It will be scary and downright uncomfortable. But once the snow settles, your calling for a new life will be bright, clear and wonderful.

Now let God shake you. Let Him shake you all about. And let Him shake you with all His might. Release the spectacular snowfall to renew your life. Then trust God to reveal a beautiful scene better than you could ever imagined it to be.