Hope and Shoveling Snow

     I shoveled some sidewalks today. The snow was about 4 inches thick but very light and fluffy so it was not very difficult. While I was shoveling it began snowing; big fluffy flakes gently falling. It did not take long for the sidewalks to get recovered in a dusting of snow. But that was okay, because it is much easier to keep periodically shoveling a walk than it is to wait until there are 6 inches accumulated! Continued shoveling keeps the edges of the sidewalk marked so that it is easier to know where to shovel. If I wait until no snow is in the forecast before I even attempt to shovel, it is much more back-breaking and I may not have any indication where the sidewalk actually is.

     I read Jeremiah 29:11 this morning and I have been focusing on the word hope; I even wrote it in Hebrew on my wrist. I prayed as I shoveled, “Show me your path, God. Clear the way. Give me hope.”

     Then I realized that seeking God’s direction is a lot like shoveling a sidewalk. If I patiently persevere in prayer, asking God for wisdom and discernment, I essentially am keeping the “path” cleared.  Yes, I may have to keep asking for awhile, and the path may get covered up a bit, but with continued prayerful clearing the edges of my journey remain visible. Meaning, I at least know the direction I’m headed! And I’m continuing the dialogue with God through that prayerful process, which means I will not be overwhelmed and buried by life’s circumstances.

     So, hope keeps me persistently shoveling sidewalks even while the snow is falling. And, hope keeps me prayerfully seeking God’s guidance, even when I am not sure of the next steps in my life. 

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord  Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Rm 5:1-5.

Hopefully,
Deb