Weather the Storm

With a snow shovel in hand, I enjoyed the sun on my face despite the frigid temperatures. Recruiting my teenage son, we were spending a few hours on our MLK Jr holiday to prep the school campus sidewalks. Despite our progress, a curious tension remained. Were our efforts doing any good? Would more snow and ice arrive, erasing any progress made? When we would have school? Would we even have school? 

Weather forecasting in the Willamette Valley is a fitting metaphor for our walk with God. Many of us have detailed calendars to order our days, preparing us for what is to come. But there is also an invisible heavenly calendar that God positions over our personal calendar, often reshaping our well-laid plans. 

Just as we cannot control the changing weather, there is little we can do to take command over the daily circumstances that come our way. While God is not the author of the "hard stuff" this broken world throws our way, He is active in using them for our good. It is a troublesome dead end to attempt to control and manage our days on our own. Jesus invites us to lay these burdens at His feet, and partner with Him, inviting Him to work His redemptive power in every situation to His glory.

While my son and I at times wanted to throw our snow shovels aside and call it a day, we remained committed to the task at hand. Unsure of what weather was to come, we were resolved to finish the surprise assignment provided by the recent cold front. 

In the same way, there are tasks, circumstances, and responses, both on our calendar and on God's hidden calendar, that will pop up today. These inevitable opportunities are known by God. Rather than being overly frustrated and surprised by them, our growing relationship with Him can build trust in His promised presence. He is more than capable and eager to walk with us through them...even lead us through them. 

I'm not sure if our hands will wrap around another snow shovel this year. But I am grateful to know that God has his hands wrapped around us whatever the forecast holds.