An Inkling
Wow – 10 to 14 inches of snow last weekend, and more predicted for next weekend! Maybe this will be one of those legendary winters we tell our grandchildren about. And it looks like exaggeration won’t even be necessary.
We transcend so many of life’s finitude fences. We leap over distances in cars and jets, over fatigue with stimulants, over time limits with multi-tasking, over language barriers with translation software, and over information obstacles with Google.
But we don’t leap over snow. A formidable finitude fence rises one tiny flake at a time. It’s a fence we cannot leap – at least not in Richmond. Our northern neighbors leap more readily, but even they are slowed down.
Once the snow “fence” has gone up, we all must decide: should we stay within its confines or dig our way out? For me, the decision was specified as, “should we have Sunday morning activities or not?” After watching a jillion weather reports and talking with several folks, I decided we would go for a scaled back Sunday morning – 11 o’clock service only. Later, as I watched the ticker of cancellations, I saw that we were one of only seven churches meeting for some sort of service. So a few churches dug through, but the vast majority decided the better part of wisdom was to sit tight.
Digging through is exactly what we did. John Korman organized several good guys to come and shovel paths. I suspect his invitation was tempting as an escape from the cabin confines. Then 63 adventuresome souls came for worship. It was a delightful service. We baptized Carter Schumacher, and the praise was especially sweet. I guess there is something about the extra effort to come that prepares the heart.
What we’ll do next weekend, I don’t know. Shoveling through the barrier was an adventure once. Next time the feeling of adventure will be harder to come by. Stay tuned. If we’re canceling, we will again notify by multiple means.
You all have faced the same challenges this week as you’ve decided whether to dare digging out and going to work, school, etc. However soon we venture forth, these snow days serve as one of God’s periodic reminders that our capacity to transcend life’s limits is always tentative. Whether sitting tight or venturing forth, look to him. He has gifts for you in the midst of these snow days snow daze.
Blessings,
Keith
