It’s Only Snow
Snow is a funny thing. As it’s falling, it seems so insubstantial. But it doesn’t take long for it to pile up and become an enormous obstacle.
Back in January, we had a big snowfall, and I was using the snow-blower. Our driveway is steep, so it’s almost impossible to drive a vehicle up it when it’s snowy. I’d only cleared about half the snow when my son arrived, and decided to try to drive up the driveway. He gave it lots of gas and made it halfway up, then spun out, and slid back down. Again and again he tried, until finally he slid onto the lawn, and spun up the grass too. Finally he gave up and parked at the bottom.
When I saw what he’d done – packing the snow down and spinning up the lawn I’m so proud of – I was furious. Next thing I know, I’m yelling at my son. “What are you doing? This is crazy! You wrecked my yard!”
He was not impressed. “Don’t talk to me that way!”
“At least come grab a shovel and help me unpack all this snow!”
“If you’re going to talk to me that way, I’m going home.”
“Fine. Just leave!” And he left. I was still fuming when my wife came out.
“Leonard, you yelled at your son! It’s only snow. You need to apologize.” But apologizing was the last thing I wanted to do. I felt like my son had been careless and disrespectful. He was the one who should be apologizing to me!
That night, I tried to pray. But I could sense that things were not right between me and God. It was as if God was saying, “Leonard, you shouldn’t be talking to me. You should be apologizing to your son.” And then, over the next few days, whenever I tried to do things for God, it was like God was saying, “You know, Leonard, don’t even bother. You yelled at your son.” This sin kept popping up. Finally, I realized, “Wow. I’ve got to apologize to God and to my son.”
So I prayed, “God, I was so stupid. I yelled at my son. What was the point of that? It was only snow. The grass will grow back.” God forgave me, but it wasn’t enough.
I wrestled for days. Could I apologize unconditionally? My temptation is to apologize conditionally: “I shouldn’t have yelled, but you shouldn’t have wrecked my yard.” That kind of apology means nothing. Finally, I mustered up the nerve to phone my son. “Son, I yelled at you the other day, and that was totally wrong, and I’d like to apologize to you for it. Can you forgive me for what I did to you?”
“Yeah, Dad, sure. Thanks for calling.” That was all it took. Suddenly there was this incredible freedom in my soul. I was forgiven. I was free from my sin.
I’m not proud of that story. And you might wonder why I’m sharing it. Two reasons.
First is this: if you want to do good things for God, make sure you’re not letting sin pile up in your life. A little bit of sin here or there might look insubstantial, but before you know it, it will become an obstacle – an obstacle between you and God, and obstacle between you and the people you care about, an obstacle between you and the things you want to do for the Kingdom. Make it a habit to clear sin out of your life. That means confessing – to God and often to people – and receiving forgiveness. (God will always forgive you. People might struggle to forgive but it is your responsibility to ask for forgiveness and then leave the results to God. You can only do what’s in your power to do.)
Second reason: If you want to introduce people to Jesus and to the forgiveness and freedom they can have with Him, then you need to be living that forgiveness and freedom yourself. When you tell your friend whatJesushas done for you, there should be a spark in your eyes reflecting the daily freedom you are experiencing. When you share how Jesus is redeeming you, you should be speaking with your head held high, no burdens weighing you down. That’s what will get people’s attention. That’s what will stir their longing for Jesus.
So I encourage you: it’s only snow. But don’t let it pile up too long.
6 Responses to “It’s Only Snow”
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What about Grace? God knows we are imperfect, but that does not give us a liscense to sin, If we confess our sins he is able to forgive us and we have no further condemnation. If we wait on others to apologize; we will be kept waiting. They often think they hae comitted no wrong toward us. We are commanded to pray for those who despitefully misuse us, as this will be heaping coals of fire upon their head. I urge all to forgive; it will free you! and may restore broken relationships. Pray that they come to know God.
Faye, I know how tempting it is to make your forgiveness conditional on his apology, but I would caution you against that. Forgiveness is all about what we don’t deserve. (It’s sometimes described as giving up our right to be hurt.) If you withhold forgiveness until this other person acts you will also hold yourself in bondage until that time. Forgiveness does not require him to make the first move. Forgiveness is between you and God.
When we refuse to forgive we put distance between ourselves and God. We tend to hold on to the hurt and anger, telling ourselves “I’m allowed to be hurt and angry because they did this bad thing to me.” It’s not a very nice place to be. I know it’s hard, but rather than praying for God to convict him, try asking God to give you the strength to forgive first and see what happens. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Thanks for sharing your story…Pls pray for me. Someone hurt my feelings and broke my heart. I know I should forgive him, but he wasn’t asking me for it. So I want to lift it up to God to give him convictions. I can’t get it out of my chest until he admits the wrong he has done to me and I hope he will come up to me to apologize.
For some reason, it takes so much courage to apologize – not an easy thing to do.
good article i love it thank you for posting it
Thanks for your vulnerability in sharing about your reaction to your son’s action. Great example of dealing with sin and not letting it block God’s power.