January 13, 2011

      Yesterday I was shocked to open the garage door and discover six inches of new snow on the driveway. This was after I had cleaned the drive just six hours previously.
     Not to be defeated by a pile of snow I picked up the shovel and began pushing the snow from the driveway to the yard where, hopefully, the car will not be going. But another change from six hours before quickly revealed itself. The calm air of 7:00 am had turned into a windy 1:00 pm.
     To be honest, the wind can turn a jagged pile of snow into a beautiful sculpture. The piles of snow already in the yard had been transformed into flowing dunes with smooth graceful lines.
     But moving the snow from the driveway to the yard became a laughable task in a stiff wind. As I threw the snow off to the north most of it was returned into my face which, fortunately, was buried beneath several layers of hats, scarves and collars.
     As I sit here in the warm house remembering the situation, I am reminded that many of life's tasks are just like shoveling snow into the wind. Our intentions are good, we set out to perform a noble job, and we are met with a wind in our face. We are discouraged thinking that the task will never be completed, that we are not equipped to "face" the challenge.
     Yet somehow the job gets done. When I came back into the house I was able to look out the window to see a driveway clear of snow. Well, after the fog on my glasses disappeared I was able to see it.
     We are told in God's word that we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9). Hey, it even works for removing snow from the driveway!
    God is so good.