DIGGING OUT

I spent a good bit of time this past Monday shoveling snow. I needed to get my steep driveway clear so I could get out and get to work. Once I did that, I drove over to the office, and removed snow from the sidewalk and a couple of parking spots, so we could reopen. There is always work to do.

Snow is beautiful, but also presents challenges. There is the danger of travel, the risk of falls, the labor of removing it, and so forth. This is the reality of the world in which we live. Even with the curse on creation, there is the wonder of the snowfall. It just makes everything seem so quiet and peaceful. Yet, there are also problems and perils.

So, what do we do? Enjoy the beauty and endure the difficulty. You can't have one without the other. Is that not like church ministry? There are blessings and burdens. Even the weather presents challenges. We have to make decisions about cancellations. That affects plans we may have made, interrupts sermon series, and impacts our giving far too often. Then, we just have to dig out--a shovelful at a time.

Don't be discouraged. Don't delay work today because of the difficulty of the task. It is amazing what God can do, when it seems like we are not making much progress. He is in control--even of the weather.

In His Service,

Dennis Thurman, Mission Strategist