Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Struggling...


to. rejoice. right. now.


... because my house is buried in snow. My yard is no longer recognizable. My driveway has morphed into a roofless tunnel with frozen walls of ice, 3 and 4 feet high. My gardens have disappeared, and my laundry room, oh my laundry room... it's littered with snow boots and coats and hats galore, and there's simply no end in sight! I've dried sopping wet gloves more times than I care to count... when, oh when, can we call this quits?

And through it all, I know... I KNOW... that as a believer, I'm called to "Rejoice in the Lord always." Yes, Paul even emphasizes this point lest I try to ignore his exhortation, "I will say it again: Rejoice! (Phil. 4:4)"

But. oh. my. goodness. Sometimes that is so. very. hard.
Sometimes, my circumstances just don't help me out very well.

Case in point: even as I type, snow pours down upon us. This past weekend the heavens dumped over two feet on our city; this current storm looks like a repeat performance. Only this go round, we'll cope with blizzard force winds, too.

Ugh. As I've said so many times over the past few days-- Florida sounds really nice right about now. But alas, no. This is where the Lord has planted us, and this brutal winter is what He has supplied. For now.

Spring. WILL. come.
Indeed, it will.
But in the meantime, I'll trust Him when He says that He'll never hand me more than I can handle WITH Him... and to that I'll cling!

So over the next several hours-- as the snowflakes bluster to the ground, as the trees moan & groan under the weight of it all, as the outdoor critters seek shelter & warmth amidst the storm-- I'll be rejoicing. Because that's what I'm called to do. At all times and in all things. And with the strength of His Almighty hand (cause that's what it's gonna take right now :), I'll be singing praises... all. day. long.


Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings... my guess is it'll be white :)



6 comments:

Anonymous said...

The pathways in the backyard look quite similar to mine! Beau follows Sam as he plows thru to fetch the tennis ball! Smile! God could have you in Vermont or New Hampshire where the snow is much deeper than we are experiencing for several months! Love to all!

gretchen said...

I hear Va Beach is nice this time of year. :) We have snow but just flurries - all the stuff that was stuck to the ground is long gone. I feel for you, my friend. It'll be gone by April - and only 259 more days, right? :)

Jennifer said...

Maybe I will dig a tunnel to your house and we can cry together. : )

We have been thankful for power and heat... hoping yours is still on.

Jennifer

Carrie said...

Sweet Heather, ... Thanks for the gentle reminder. I woke up with a cold this morning, and while I'd like to grumble, ... you're right. I can rejoice that it is *just* a cold AND that I didn't have it two weeks ago! ;)

Praying for you today! For what it's worth, your snow pictures are beautiful! ;)

Linda said...

Oh Heather, I do remember those days - those days when it seemed that winter would never end. We used to live way up north, near the Vermont border.
Cabin fever was rampant! I will be praying that as you obediently rejoice He will fill your heart with a joy that can come only from Him. You bless Him with your love.
You bless me with your sweet spirit.

Leslie said...

Great minds think alike, Heath! I quoted Isa. 1:18 on my blog, too. BTW, Florida wasn't far enough south...you'll need to head to Australia to escape the February Fury. (We had two days of torrential downpour and two days of cold sunshine in 'sunny' Orlando this past week.) May flowers would not be so beautiful but for January, February, March and April. Love you, sis!