My lawn and bushes are covered with snow flurries today and I’m so excited about it. What a wonderful way to welcome the first day of December. Now it really looks like the Christmas season is here! The snow beautifully complements the seasonal decorations. The gently falling flakes add a quiet serenity to the neighborhood.
Being a Buffalo, New York native, I’m used to snow…and lots of it. The kids play in it and I know how to carefully drive in it without fear. It’s just a part of my reality. In fact, in my hometown, we can we be walking around in snow up to our knees without the city shutting down.
Again, we’re just sort of used to it.
But, in Delaware, if there are flurries falling from the sky that happen to stick to the ground for more than a few hours, the entire State just might be crippled.
Back when I lived there, that always made me laugh. I would be thinking, “C’mon, are you kidding me? The snow isn’t even covering my shoe and everything is closing down for the day?” It really was unbelievable, although I didn’t mind snow days one bit.
What wasn’t so funny, however, was the treachery of driving on ice-covered highways because the government had such a poor snow and ice removal system. In Buffalo, the city brings out those big salt trucks to quickly dissolve the ice and make the roads safe for travel. Delawarians, on the other hand, don’t have a big budget allotted for snow response, so the process isn’t as smooth. Consequently, there are lots of accidents and pileups during snowstorms—no matter how mild.
Although I was living in a new State, I never forgot how to drive through a storm because of my experience in Buffalo; but those who were less accustomed to it, had an awful time. Truthfully, I was more likely to be hit by a Delaware driver who didn’t know how to control their vehicle in those weather conditions, than I was to spin out of control on an ice-covered road.
After witnessing the stark contrast between the two regions’ response to snow storms, I took away a life principle from it all, which is this. If you are rarely challenged or confronted with specific types of adversity, you will never learn how to successfully handle those situations. That’s why God, our loving Father, will allow us to go through hard tests and trials. He knows that trouble is a teacher. Through it, we learn how to respond in the midst of crisis. We gain an understanding of how to thrive and survive in treacherous conditions because of the experiences we’ve had.
On the other hand, if we don’t face enough opposition, when it comes knocking on our door, it renders us incapacitated. We “crash” and panic because our response to it hasn’t been developed.
God doesn’t want to see that happen to us.
So, in His infinite wisdom, He steps back and allows trouble to be our teacher, not because He enjoys seeing us suffer, but so that we will know how to drive through the storm; stand through the trouble; and overcome the obstacles.
Right now I encourage you. If you’re dealing with a tough time, God is just equipping you to thrive.
Today’s Prayer: Lord, I don’t like adversity and hardship. The storms of life challenge me greatly, but I know with Your help I can take away the necessary lessons from this struggle. Even though it’s hard, I thank You for loving me enough to allow trouble to teach me the lessons necessary to thrive in my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
