Snow

As I was looking out my window this morning watching it snow, I couldn't help but think how snow can be an illustration of God's will in each of our lives. This is in no way a perfect illustration, but I believe it is one that can be helpful to remember. As everyone in Salem and the surrounding area knows, it snowed last night. This came as a surprise to many people, including myself. I heard it might snow, but I didn't really believe it would. Some people were excited. Some were angry that it would interfere with their plans. But all anyone could do was go to sleep last night and then wake up today and see what happened and go from there. Isn't that sometimes what happens when God's will for our lives surprises, startles, or brings change?

First of all, whether or not we want snow on a given day, the fact of the matter is that it either will or will not snow depending on what God planned. We cannot influence if it snows or not. All we can do is respond to it. Some people prepare for snow. They buy snow tires, get their ice scraper out, or wake up early in case they'll need extra time in the morning to get to wherever they planned on going. And yet other people just continue with life as normal and only act if snow does in fact happen. But it does change how we respond to life whether we were prepared for it or not. Some people get angry when it snows if it interferes with plans or dreams, some embrace it right away, and some take a little time to get used to it. This is so similar to how we respond to God's will in our lives. We grumble and whine and think "why me?" or "why now?", or we embrace the change that has taken place and move forward recognizing that whether we see the change as good or bad, it was what God meant for us at the time.

Personally, I am going through some hard life changes that I never expected I would have to face. Many things led to where I am currently and I have felt somewhat unprepared to deal with it, but I must remember that just as it will stop snowing eventually (even if the snow leads to some changes in the road surface or pushes some of my plans back), my life will again reach some state of normalcy and will continue on.

Snow is a beautiful thing. It is a blessing from God. My hope is to view His will for my life in the same way.