We live in snow country
Michigan. When other schools and
activities cancel downstate, we are open.
To the people up here, canceling things “down below” is mere child’s
play. When things are canceled up here,
you know it’s bad.
We happen to live at the
bottom of a very very big hill. It’s one
of those hills where at the very top there is a sign to warn trucks to not get
going too fast. It’s big and it’s
long. When there is snow and ice, it
seems extra big and extra long.
Last week when this newbie-to-the-winter-weather-up-north
saw the snow and the prediction for more to come, I thought for sure that the
evenings basketball game would be canceled.
Since my daughter had to cheer at that game I was looking forward to the
cancelation so that I didn’t have to drive in the nasty weather. The cancelation never came; I just couldn’t
believe it. These people are true winter
warriors! I skipped most of the game and
decided near the end to drive the 6 miles to town to pick up Emily. When I left
I realized that the snow had turned to rain and that the temperature was cold
enough for it to freeze on the roads. Lovely.
My husband, Brian, asked if I
wanted him to drive me and I told him no because we live here and I have to
learn how to drive in it sometime. I
ventured out to the van, hopped in and pulled slowly out of the snowy driveway. I got up to about 15 mph as I hit the bottom
of the hill ready to go up. It was like
the Little Engine that Could, except that I couldn’t. The hill was a sheet of ice and the van spun
its “all weather” tires and decreased in speed.
I realized that I had better back up and get down the hill, I had barely
started, or else the van was just going to do it itself.
When I walked in the door I
had to ask Brian to take me. We decided
to take the car thinking those “all weather” tires would be better. As we made our way to the hill we began to go
up, spinning our tires on the ice. As we inched along. Brian would push the gas, the car would go
forward as the tires would spin and smoke.
Yes, smoke. We could not get any
grip on that road and it took us 10 minutes to make it too the top. During our
time on the hill a few trucks with 4 wheel drive and good gripping tires passed
us with ease. What was the problem here?
Well, we didn’t have a
grip. Our tires were not really made for
“all” weather, but for “some” weather.
We needed snow tires. We needed
something that would grip that ice and allow us to go forward.
Of course everything is an
analogy to me. I got thinking of our lives.
So many times we slip and slide around because we don’t have a grip on
the right thing—or more importantly the right person, Jesus. Some people dealing with the same conditions
as we have appear to deal with them with ease while we are floundering up the
hill. Why does this seem to be? It’s what we are gripped on to, or more
likely, what we are NOT gripped on to.
In the Bible Paul says in Philippians 3:12, “I press on, that I
may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” Not only can we have our grip on Christ but
Christ has His grip on us. When our
lives seem to slip and slide, let’s remember that we may not have the right
grips. Look for, and hold on tightly to Jesus and watch how he
will help you up that hill. As far as
our “all weather” tires are concerned?
Some generous soul in our church heard of our struggles and donated four
good winter tires for our car. What a
difference a good grip makes.
