RULER OF ALL NATURE : Written 12/21/2009

I’m still inside. 

In the Bible, Job spoke of God's snow storehouses, and we have certainly been blessed with an abundance of the white stuff since it started around 8:00 on Friday night. 

It looks so beautiful, pristine, and fluffy as you watch it from the inside, but when my daughter and I got up the nerve, bundled up, and went outside on Saturday afternoon, I found out how important balance and a sure foundation really are. My usually steady steps were replaced by hesitant, wobbly plunges almost up to my knees--and my knees weren't being very friendly to the rest of me. 

My memory was telling me where the steps, curb and street were supposed to begin and end, but my eyes weren't trusting anything except what my brain was telling them they were actually seeing. 

The stuff that looked so pretty and soft, was in reality heavy and restricting. The fascinating ballet-like dance I watched as the wind made the falling snow swirl, was transformed into a stinging, bitter assault on my face. The air, however, smelled wonderfully clean.

We weren't out there long- just enough to clear off enough snow so that we could see the car, open the doors, and run the engine. Of course we were operating with our gloved hands, a soft bristled broom and a scraper that seemed to be made for a Barbie convertible. 

Perhaps Rite-Aid was open, or the corner store, because the few people we did see were carrying bags. 

No one was hurrying. 

It has been so peaceful, and the helper in people has emerged.

Back inside, I told myself, "Okay. You went out. Now stay inside, pop some corn, drink some tea, make a salad, and a big pot of something involving pasta. Acknowledge just how cold it really is, and leave the heavy duty work to the Sun".

I have nowhere to go, and there are no emergencies. Everyone in my family is safe. 

I thought about my sister's gumbo, and how nice it would be to have some. 

I thought about the caramel corn I bought at Detroit airport last Sunday, and how I should have bought more. (They have a website, and they ship! Yay!) 

I started thanking God over and over for shelter and warmth. I admired how His snow seemed to defy the night, and provide light around the clock. 

I remembered an episode of the Andy Griffith Show which featured a visiting preacher who asked, "What's your hurry?" 

I can definitely say, "I have none, and have been slowed down (even slower than usual) to a deliberate crawl."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXU--fCB1f0&feature=related

This snowfall shut down the Nation's Capital. 

The Federal Government is closed. 

Schools and businesses are closed. 

Many churches canceled services for the weekend. (To me, that provides a real test of whether or not one has a consistent, functioning, healthy relationship with God.) 

Only those considered emergency personnel were compelled to get moving. Wisdom told the rest of us to just go and sit down somewhere--and most of us complied. A group of youthful Washingtonians, however, decided to get together for a snowball fight in the middle of a usually busy downtown intersection. I'm not sure how wise it was, but it seemed like fun, until a snowball purposely (or accidentally) hit the luxury vehicle of an off duty police officer--who emerged from said vehicle with anger, authority--and his service revolver. Disorderly conduct in a public street, or orderly organized sport in a newly made field? Not sure. Extremes bring out the best and worst in people I suppose...

Some see the snow as a horrible inconvenience, a nuisance, and a hindrance to carefully made plans. Others see it as an unexpected, blessed opportunity to rest--or play where cars, trucks, and buses usually tread.

I've been amused by those who tweet and post from their places of employment. Each day they moan, complain, and desire to see lunch time, closing time, vacation time--ANY time other than the 8 or so hours they must spend at work. They complain about supervisors, jammed machines, boring meetings, annoying co-workers, difficult customers, deadlines, and various work related disasters. For the last few days, these same disgruntled employees have been complaining about "cabin fever". They're bored out of their brains, and have watched every video and Christmas special known to man. They speak of weight gain as they forage in their refrigerators and cabinets. They are tired of the presence of their own kids. They pray for the snow to stop, and are appalled that God has the audacity to command precipitation to fall in usually dry and sunny places. They want to go out, but can't. 

Those who usually come in, like the Pizza Hut delivery guy, aren't going anywhere either. I guess it's better to be at home when it's a vacation of your choosing, and not one abruptly imposed by the Big Guy.

God knows how to shut things down so that you have no choice but to be still. He knows how to remind us that He is still running our affairs. He refreshes our belief in what, where, and how He rules. He makes us keenly aware of the abundance of His possessions. 

If we don't know anything else, we surely know that He has a lot of snow. You can press your way out into it, but it won't be easy, unless you operate one of those lovely city salt trucks.

The ruler of all nature has spoken. "Snow, fall".