ICE

In twelve years of living in Tigard I don’t ever recall a snowfall that lasted more than two days. This is day five and the yard is still covered! Roads are slushy and in parts treacherous. Of course our cousins in Minnesota and North Dakota laugh at our frailty. They live with such conditions for months at a time. In the newspaper I read a woman’s bewildered commentary. Her husband was cursed and mocked by many passersby for shoveling the driveway—a time honored tradition in the Midwest. Evidently snow and ice bring out the best and worst in Oregonians.

There is a fine degree of separation between flakes and frozen rain but the difference is profound. Have you ever heard of a gentle ice storm? Over 1300 flights at Portland’s airport were cancelled and many businesses are closed. People’s lives are changed by lost revenue, canceled trips, accidents and shattered dreams. Ice brings us to our knees and in some cases, backs. Stuck in the confines of my home, I have time to reflect . . .

The Bible has many things to say about our heart. God gave us hearts meant to be soft and pliable like snow. He intended that we revere Him and live our lives in worship by honoring Him in our work, play, language and thought. The sheen of snow reminds me that we were created to be holy and that God’s purity is whiter still! Wow—our eyes have yet to see what shine really means! Moral hearts please Him. Virtuous hearts experience blessing through trial or triumph because the focus is always on God and not on circumstances.

What makes a good heart turn hard? What subtle change in temperature freezes over Savior-worship with brittle idolatry? Why do we lose our childish glee for cynical glum? Turning from God to please ourselves is a vile storm. Pride smears our noesis (understanding) and leaves us obtuse. If ice is treacherous imagine what trouble a hard heart brings. I refuse to become callous and slick. I opt for grace. I’ll drink the hot cup of mercy Jesus gives and keep my heart pointed towards heaven. I’ll revere the One Who somehow saw enough value in me to sacrifice His Son. Will you join me?

Meditation

Proverbs 28:14—Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.

Inspiration

Watch spiritual hardness, if ever you have the tiniest trace of it, haul up everything else till you get back your softness to the Spirit of God.—Oswald Chambers in Run Today’s Race