IT'S OK, TWO WHEELS ARE ON DRY GROUND

This morning there was the first, of the season, visible, measurable, sprinkling of snow on the ground.  With a steaming cup of coffee and nowhere to go, it really was a beautiful scene; just don’t expect me to drive in it unless there is a real emergency.  My friends and family are well aware of my aversion to driving or traveling on icy, snow-covered roads.  Living in the north, all my life, I have experienced my share of skids, spin-outs, slide offs and accidents due to badly plowed roads and in-a-hurry drivers.  I know I make my sweet husband crazy by my constant reminders of “be careful,” “aren’t you going a little too fast,” “it looks slick up there,” etc.  He has learned how to pretty much just “tune out” everything he doesn’t want to hear but sometimes his exasperation at me explodes.  Several years ago, we were traveling to the northern Michigan town of Gaylord to attend a church fellowship meeting.  It was winter, snowy and the highway was not plowed to my satisfaction.  My never ending warnings and muttering, “Jesus” under my breath finally got on his last nerve; probably because he was trying to concentrate on not going in the ditch.  Without taking his eyes off the road (thank God) he very loudly said words in which I have often found great comfort and have never forgotten. “SUSAN,” he said, “It’s ok, two wheels are on dry pavement.”

Our life is made up of interlocking seasons that sometimes morph into the next before we are prepared for the change.  One morning you wake up and notice a chill in the air, the vibrant green areas are frosted with snow and the trees are bare of fruit and leaves; winter has arrived.  Winter is not one of the seasons of life for which we yearn. It is a season of dormancy, in which we see little or no growth in our relationship with God.  It is a time of leanness and barrenness in our soul as we watch the greenness dry and wither.  It seems that when you try to keep pushing ahead on the path, you hit a slick spot and sometimes even spin-out and slide off into the ditch.  The temptation is to grab a hot cup of coffee and hunker down in safety until spring, but God has some good things planned, even for winter.  In Job 38:22 God asks Job, “Have you entered into the treasures of the snow?”  The snow falls in nature and in our life for a purpose and God provides “treasure in the snow.”

If you are in a season of winter, stand still when you must but when God says let’s go, move forward with the assurance, “it’s ok, two wheels are on dry pavement.”  God has never had a spin-out or slid off into the ditch.  He has 20/20 vision, even during blizzard conditions and a “white-out.”  He is a “SURE FOUNDATION,” a “STRONG TOWER,” and He is “ORDERING YOUR STEPS.”  When the icy winds blow, the snow piles high and your vision is limited, allow that “still small voice” to whisper words of peace, “it’s ok, two wheels are on dry pavement.”