Snow and Ice

It has been years since I could remember this much snow fall.  One one hand, it has been really cool (pardon the pun) to see.  Some of my fondest memories of childhood have been that of snow days and sled rides.  On the other hand, it has been disconcerting knowing how dangerous road conditions have been and seeing cars demolished or flipped over in a ditch.

I suppose I think more about the latter these days because I am no longer a child, but have my own children.  It is funny to me how our mindset shifts as we grow older.  We tend not to think about the beauty and fun as much as the danger and precaution.

Though we are still living in TN for a few more weeks, I am constantly checking the forecast for my new home in O'fallon, Illinois.  Each weekend, we have a 300 mile trip to complete just to be at church with our new church family (www.skylinecc.com).  Snowfall effects everything from our departure time to the attendance in our worship services.

This week, O'fallon is anticipating up to 1/2 inch of ice with another 5-9 inches of snow on top.  The snow is enough in and of itself, but ICE....that opens up a whole new can of worms.

As you wake up in the morning to see the ground covered in snow, it creates a certain amount of anticipation.  I mean, it is beautiful.  The trees are covered, the ground is covered.  There is a lot of fun to be had in a winter wonderland such as this, but what about the danger.  Beneath the frozen tundra (yes I love football) lies a layer of danger that can bring inconvenience, hurt, and even death in some cases.

I was reminded this morning in my quiet time how this plays out in our own lives sometimes.  For the most part, we tend to put our best foot forward for those around us.  We tend to paint a beautiful picture for the world to see.  It is a work of art that says, "Hey, I've got it all together.  My life is A-OK."

The sad part is the reality at times.  The image that the picture some people paint (myself included at times in my life) is a farce.  What lies beneath the perceived happiness, holiness, and honorable gestures are some things that are apart from the intended perception.

It is the ice in our lives, the things we hide because we do not wish others to know of our humanity, our imperfection, our struggles.  For some it is the weakness of our relationships be it friendships, family, or marriage.  For some it is the struggles of our doubt.  For some it lies in those pet sins that we hold on to hoping no one will ever find out.

As we begin to hide these things from others, what happens is that we can begin to hide them from ourselves and we can begin to ignore what lies beneath the facade.  That is where the danger comes in to play.  Our unawareness leads us into life proceeding without caution...proceeding without ever trying to remedy the ice that lies beneath.

Our awareness, helps us to truly begin dealing with those things that hold us back from being all that God has called us to be.  The things we struggle with are not meant to be hidden, at least not from everyone.  Yes, we certainly need to be aware, but we also need to acknowledge those things to both God (which He already knows) and to people we trust and can lean on in the times when the ice is its thickest.

I believe with all my heart that God desires the picture we paint to be beautiful, but He also wants it to be a true representation of who we are and that is a people who are the broken righteous through His GRACE.  Without that brokenness, there is no need of that Grace...and without that Grace, there is no hope.

Our brokenness is a piece of the art which is our life, but the masterpiece is made perfect through the Grace which allows the ice to melt away leaving behind God's desire for your life and mine.

"For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."  Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)