The Big Snow

The Big Snow

We don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

2 Corinthians 4:18

It was one of those winters when the Great Lakes region had record snowfalls. On one occasion, our area received more than eighteen inches of snow in a twenty-four-hour period, a lot of snow even by Michigan standards. But it did not arrive with the usual quiet accumulation to which we were accustomed. This snow came in a raging blizzard with winds that reached nearly forty-five miles per hour.

By the time the howling was over, the storm had delivered mountains of snow, sculpting drifts that reached as high as five feet around the front and back doors of the house.

My brother said, “It’s as if the whole storm came ripping straight out of the North Pole, blasted across Lake Superior, and then emptied itself in our yard.”

He managed to push the back door open enough to reach the shovel he kept nearby. He dug a path to the side door of the garage; then he used the snowblower to clear the driveway. He headed back to the garage just in time to see the back door open and the top of Mom’s head before she reached the bottom step of the back porch. Then she disappeared from his sight! Thinking she had fallen into the deep snow, he started to panic, until a few seconds later he realized she was okay when the side door to the garage seemed to open by itself.

Sometimes it feels as if the storms of life empty themselves right into our lives, too. When that happens, have courage, keep the faith, and by all means, keep your head up!

—C. Anne Morrison

Father, please help me to remember not to become overwhelmed by the troubles of this life. I know you are always there to help me carry them. Amen.