It’s the middle of February, and here in Michigan we are in the firm grip of winter. Tonight’s forecast is for 9 degrees, and the road in front of my house is coated with clear, crunchy ice. Though our 16” of snow has compacted itself in recent days, outside the windows it’s still a winter wonderland.
The beach is especially striking in winter, looking every bit like a movie set with its frozen hills and icy creek. Wild winds have blended sand and snow till the landscape resembles chocolate ripple cake batter.
Amidst all this frosty splendor I was recently amazed by a winter-time sight along a Wisconsin expressway.
The highway was framed by rocky cliffs that had had water gently flowing in mini-waterfall fashion. Because of low temps, the water froze mid-drop, creating striking sculptures of ice. I could hardly stay on the road for wanting to stare at these remarkable formations.
They reminded me of the way God sometimes stops us in our tracks. Maybe we’re heading in a wrong direction or making an unwise decision that will lead to no place good. In trying to spare us heartbreak or failure, he thwarts our plans in-the-now. We get frustrated and feel exactly like those icy waterfalls look: completely stuck.
Though we thought we’d been on our way to something good, changing circumstances rearrange our plans, and we get stopped short of our goals. Then, when we can’t see beyond our jammed-up present to a free-flowing future, we feel trapped. And when that happens, it’s easy to blame God:
We say, “You could have made a way for me, but you chose to stop me instead, and that makes me mad.”
The reality is that somewhere down the road, when we’re in the middle of unique circumstances we couldn’t possibly have foreseen, we’ll look back at our anger over being stopped “prematurely” and be grateful we were.
Though we may not arrive to God’s good plan quickly, he does promise he has plans that will “prosper us and give us a hopeful future.” So, since he said it, we believe it…. even when everything around us is still frozen solid.
“Be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and per- fect.” (Romans 12:2)