It’s snowing hard and that’s not supposed to happen here on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. A truer picture is that we West Coast dwellers delight in regaling our prairie family and friends with tidbits of weather information. This is how the conversation usually goes: “It’s warm, overcast but not wet enough to stop us from gardening. Oh yes, crocuses and primroses are blooming … blah, blah, blah.”
It’s true, those flowers, plus the rock garden heather, are in bloom, but today they are snow-covered to a degree that I’ve never seen in our 13 years living here.
I’m restricting my phone calls to the prairies because, well, it’s downright humiliating to confess that we can’t go anywhere. The streets in our part of town have not been ploughed, city buses aren’t running and it’s not even a smart idea to try walking, let alone driving. Yesterday we were told by meteorologists that snow was expected but we semi-sneered. “Not here,” we said, “it doesn’t happen here.” Well it did and our world is white.
A quote from a Vine Publications and Productions TAO Facebook post sums it up: “Seasons mean adjusting ... We must always be prepared to adjust because seasons come and go.” No problem in adding an amen to that one!
Changing seasonal weather patterns are one thing. Life-altering changes to our personal worlds are quite another. From relocation to broken dreams, financial collapse or even death, changes can be devastating. I’m on my third reading of Renewing Your Spiritual Passion (Gordon MacDonald, Oliver Nelson) and it continues to speak to me of how changing situations affect us at the heart’s deepest level.
It’s reassuring to know that no matter what the situation, God is faithful. People and circumstances can disappoint but He remains true to His word.
“Trust in the Lord.” (Proverbs 3:5)
