Snowball's Chance

What is it about snow that makes the whole world seem more peaceful? Maybe it is that everyone has to slow down, pay attention to what they're doing, and be cognizant of the world around them. Maybe it's because people stop to look at the beauty of God's handiwork. Whatever the reason, everything seems to be peaceful and calm.

Yesterday I walked out into the snow to take some pictures.  I found myself fascinated by this little bitty tree.  It seemed determined to have its head sticking out of the snow.  Today I went back outside to find my little tree.  It was nowhere to be found.  I suddenly felt very sad for the little tree.  It was completely buried under the snow.

Sometimes in life it feels like we’re under a pile of stuff.  Sometimes it’s stuff of our own making.  We over commit trying to please everyone to gain their favor.  We get heaped up with the unrealistic expectations of others and ourselves.  So we run around trying to do everything ourselves, just so people will like us.  We’re too proud to ask for help.  So we fall further and further behind as more and more stuff gets laid on us.  And before we know it, we are completely buried and invisible.  Actually, we only feel invisible.  We become so resentful and we expect so much recognition that if people don’t fall down and praise us, then we think we’re invisible.

We are never invisible.  God sees and God knows everything about us.  We are His beloved and He does not care if we are underneath a load of our own sin.  He does not care if nobody else loves us.  He does not care if we do anything at all, except love him in return and love each other.  You see, Jesus Christ knows what it’s like to be heaped up with a bunch of stuff.  All the sins of all the world were piled on top of him at Calvary.  Yet he still promised us,

Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.         (Matthew 11:28-30 NLT)

It’s not just that he takes our burdens for us.  He teaches us how to find rest.  If we will rely on him and not on our own skills, we will find that he leads us beside still waters.  Walking with him in listening to him, we learn not to take on more than we can do.  It’s easy because we are no longer trying to please others, we are trying to follow Christ.  When you see the world from that perspective, it really doesn’t matter what’s piled on top of you.  It only matters that you are rooted and grounded in Christ. 

“For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too.”( Romans 11:16)