Snow … ice

We get a lot of snow here. It’s pretty when it’s white and fluffy. On the roads and sidewalks, however, it quickly gets grey, and icy, and then it’s neither pretty nor fun to walk on. But I have a dog who needs to exercise, so walk on it I must. I choose my shoes with the best grip, and at times I walk very slowly. Falling over is not something I have any desire to do. The same is true in my walk with the Lord.

I have just read the two letters from Peter in the New Testament. In the second one Peter makes clear that God has given us everything that we need to lead good lives, doing the right things and honouring the Lord. He tells us that we need to make every effort to add to our faith with virtue, knowledge, self-control, patience, piety, family affection and love. That’s quite some list. And if we don’t have these in our lives, Peter tells us that we are so short-sighted that we are actually blind. Whoops. Peter adds that we need to be making every effort to confirm that God has called us and chosen us, and the implication is that this is by working on the above list. He tells us that if we work on these things we will never trip up. That sounds like being careful not to slip on the ice.

Being a practical person, I asked the Lord what I need to be careful about. There is one thing that the Lord has spoken to me time and time again, and still I need reminding. I need to be grateful. Someone asked me recently how I find joy, and instantly I knew that for me, joy comes when I express my gratitude to the Lord. There are times when I’m disappointed with how things are going in my life. It is easy for me to focus on what is going wrong, what is not happening the way I want it to. I have learned that is not healthy for me. Instead I need to remind myself of all the good things in my life. And then I start to thank God for my family, my home, my friends, my activities, and so much more. Not surprisingly after I have spent some time in expressing my gratitude to the Lord, I recognise the presence of joy.

For years I have worked hard to establish good habits in my life. I have a daily time alone with the Lord, reading the Scriptures and praying. My husband and I also take time together every day to worship and pray. We do this in the evening, and when I am tired it is so tempting to miss this time. This is another area that I need to pay attention to. Sometimes we only sing one song and then pray for our family. At least then we have spent some time doing the right thing. We recognise that this is a very important time for us as a couple, and are trying hard not to miss too often.

Too often, I find, it is easy to be unkind to those you love the most. We feel safe with our family, to express our disappointments, to speak negatively about ourselves and also sometimes about others. That is neither helpful nor good. And it is something that I need to continue to work on. Occasionally I will look to the Lord to help me say nice things to my husband. And I determine to not dump my frustrations on him.

Sometimes I find it easy to give myself to others, but then there are times when I just want to hide away. Although it is important that we look after our own needs, we are called to care for others also. This is another area that I need to be careful in. When I am walking my dog, I generally want to keep going, not stop and talk to people. Where I live, however, there are many lonely people, and I am learning to stop and give them some of my time. The same applies when I am in the store, and someone wants to talk to me. It is an effort for me to give them the attention that perhaps they need.

My list is probably different to yours. Those areas where I need to pay attention to, and there more than those I mentioned above, are important for me to confirm my calling to walk with the Lord. Feel free to take some time with the Lord and come up with your own list.