Snow Day!

Growing up in Southern California meant I never paid much attention to the weather. It was perfect almost all the time. The phrase canceled due to inclement weather was not in my vocabulary. This is not the case living in Texas. Our first night in Texas, almost 13 years ago now, was filled with the cracking of thunder and the whirling of tornado warning sirens. Not a year has gone by that canceled due to inclement weather hasn’t been posted everywhere. Just like today. As I write this, I hear icy rain gently blowing against the windows. The roads are iced over, the shelves of every grocery store are bare, and I am sitting here wondering why I am so anxious and frustrated with the entire situation.

Why am I anxious and frustrated?

I’ll tell you why.

I had things I needed to get done today. I had meetings to get to, people to meet with. Mother nature, don’t you know that I am a very important person with lots of important things to do? You are messing up my plans!

Now, to my friends in the north, I know you are laughing at us Texans. Dear Lord, did I just refer to myself as a Texan? What is happening?! When we get a little ice and snow our world as we know it stops. But that is because we simply don’t have the infrastructure to deal with any kind of cold weather. This is how the city deals with inclement weather: Let’s put some dirt on the bridges and wish everyone good luck. Gee. Thanks for watching out for us.

Back to me and my anxiety and frustration.

One would think after living through a worldwide pandemic I would be ok with massive interruptions to my schedule. One would think I would have learned by now how to go with the flow and chill out a little more. One would think after having become a father and living with a little routine interrupter 24/7 I would be able to embrace the fact that life does not revolve around my well-intentioned plans. As much as I would like to say I have grown in this area of my life I have to admit I have not. I am just as ridge and hell-bent on believing I control my life.

So, as I sit here and look at my calendar and all the wonderful plans, I now need to reschedule I am praying that this inclement weather can help teach me to slow down and be present to the moment. I pray that this inclement weather can be an exercise in surrendering the illusion that I have any control over my life. I pray that as the sun comes out in a few days and the snow and ice begin to melt that this moment doesn’t melt from my memory. I pray that the ice and snow and canceled plans are gifts God has placed in my life to help form me into the kind of person who can embrace interruptions as an act of surrender to God’s plans for my life.

Grace and peace ‘til we rise in glory.