Snow Imitates Life

This past week we got 10 inches of snowfall, officially the biggest snow in 13 years.

The snow was an illustration of what happens when life throws itself at you.

Some choose to embrace the snow with enthusiasm and gusto. Many of them were children with a day off school, but not all. Some grown-ups also got a chance to stop and play.

Ohters, like me, are struggling through the trial that comes with winter weather. Maybe I have Seasonal Affective Disorder (depression because of winter weather). Probably, I just dislike snow very much: Lost business, long commutes, power outages, vehicle slide offs, shoveling snow, sky-high heating bills, feeling cold and wet, hard work coping.

Same snow, different reactions.

Life is like that. Many of us are chugging along. A friend just finished his basement. More in my family than not believe that Obama in the White House is a good thing. My kids enjoy their birthdays.

Or, are there problems? Business is very tough. A friend just lost his job with no severance pay. Another friend had his hours cut, another took a pay cut. I believe our new President's policies will do more harm than good. Socialism never works. My children are growing quickly. My weight loss and fitness has hit a plateau...

So, do I choose to believe one of my new favorite Bible verses, Psalm 16:5-6: "The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance."

To understand how this Bible verse would make sense today, my Study Bible notes describe it best: "The psalm...describes the psalmist's satisfaction with the Lord and His provision. The terms PORTION, LOT, LINES, and INHERITANCE evoke the allocatioin of the land into family plots; the song promotes contentment with the arrangements of one's life, seeing them as providentially ordered." (Source: ESV Study Bible notes on Psalm 16).

The point here is that all of life is providentially ordered, both blessings and trials. I believe that God arranges the perfect blend of blessings and trials in order to draw us nearer to Him. Are we accepting the invitation?