My Little Secret

I have a secret...I try to keep it quiet because when people find out they tend to have a variety of negative responses: shock, anger, disbelief...ok, here it is.... i love the snow! Shhh....in Minnesota it's a dangerous thing to say, you might end up in a fight, or most likely shoveling someone else's sidewalk. But honestly, I do love it. Big storms or just light flurries just lift my spirits! Watching the flakes drift to the ground brings back so many memories of building snow forts, sledding, or just spending the day inside with no where to go.
It's amazing how something that is so fun when we are kids so quickly turns into something that we hate as adults. Instead of seeing the fun we see a driveway that needs to be shoveled, dangerous roads when we need to get to work and don't forget the cold temperatures.
In Luke 10:21-24 Jesus praises his father because he has hidden his wisdom from the wise but "revealed them to the childlike." We can apply the same approach to the snow as we can to the life that Jesus offers us. If we look like adults we are sceptical, we think of so many broken promises in our lives and have a difficult time trusting God will keep his. We see a difficult, long road full of trials, temptations and struggles. But if we look like a child it's the easiest decision in the world. We can see the joy in every day we're given, even the difficult ones. Adults don't like the snow because it gets in the way of their plans for their day. The life that Jesus calls us to gets in the way of our plans too, but if we only see the difficult parts we are completely missing the happiness and joy that far outweigh them.  Later in that verse Jesus says "blessed are the eyes that see what you see." Those that can see life like a child, who see opportunity instead of struggle find it much easier to follow to path that Jesus is calling them to. So next time the snow (or whatever challenge you're facing) starts piling up, instead to trying to scoop it out of your way, go sledding instead! Or make a snow angel, or a snow man, or a snow fort, or go skiing...the possibilities are endless!