This has been the big question of many all across the United States this year.    We have had way more snow than ever not to mention the sub-zero temperatures here in Ohio.  After several times of shoveling the driveway out, it was a relief to have someone knock on our door and ask if they could do it for us?  We negotiated a price that was suitable for all and away they went to dig us out.  It worked well the first couple of times.  However, last week, we had a deeper and heavier snow than usual.

Jim was working from home that day and I had been out.  When I pulled up, there was a young lady in her pajama pants scraping at the ice and snow on our driveway.  It appeared this was the first time she’d ever shoveled snow.  I called Jim on the phone from the road and asked, “Did you hire someone different to do the shoveling today?   This isn’t the same person that I remember.”  It had been the same person who came to our door, but instead of two strapping men, we got the lady in her p.j’s.

As I got out of the car, she was complaining that her  job was really hard.  She asked if we could pay her more money this time because it was going to take her forever to get it done.  I agreed to give her more and actually gave her more than she was asking for when she was done.  However, I should have looked closer before I paid her.  We found out the next day when we tried to get out to go to work, she had only shoveled half of the driveway outside the garage.  We had to maneuver several times in order to get out of the garage without hitting a four-foot wall of snow!  It was miraculous that we were even able to get out.

I’ve heard so many people complaining about winter.  I have been included in that conversation from time to time.  It’s like going through a trial.  When it starts out, we’re motivated to make it through. As Christians, we are taught in the Bible that we should rejoice always…even in times of trial.   At first we optimistically pray to God that He will come dig us out of our mess.  Then after a while of seeing God at work, clearing the way for us, more struggles seem to fall on us again.  Then the whining begins again.  Some days we just want to stay in our pajamas and cry, “Woe is me!”

Before you know it, the ice starts forming and we lose hope.  I don’t think I’ll ever get out of this mess!  We get discouraged, stop reading our Bible, stop praying and continue to whine.  The walls start closing in on us to where we feel trapped.  We might not get out of this one!

But then the sun comes out.  It shines down on the mess we have and begins to warm our world and melt away our problems.  When the next storm hits in your life, will you be one that whines and sees no way out?  When the skies are grey and there’s no sun to be seen, do you feel that God isn’t there?  It’s those that are willing to keep shoveling…to the very edges…that get through the storms. Don’t give up!  God will clear your paths and lead you to Him!  Don’t look at your circumstances.  Rather, trust in Him who stands by to dig you out.

Psalm 107:28-29 (NIV) Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.   He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.

God can do it for you, too!