Overnight

When I went to bed, the wind was still howling. The snow was drifting. I had arrived home many hours before, but I was pretty sure I wouldn’t make it through a deepening drift on my street if it got worse overnight. The snow plows would be concerned with more heavily travelled roads.

My concerns were confirmed when an odd light caught my attention as I walked toward the front of the house after dark. Someone was stuck in the drift. I started piling on clothes to help, then noticed a passenger scooping snow near the stuck tire. By the time I pulled on my gloves, they safely gained enough traction to continue down the road. I settled back in for the night, setting my alarm for earlier than usual since I’d have to dig my way out.

I woke up even earlier than the alarm, and I was surprised to see the sun shining. The wind had roared through the night, creating beautiful, dense snow drifts, but it had calmed before dawn. The air temps were frigid, but without the wind and darkness, working to clear the driveway was not only bearable but beautiful. It was a quiet reprieve. I prayed as I scooped. I knew many were still struggling even in the brightness of a new day, yet I couldn’t set aside the beauty and hope in the morning reminder. Just because a day ends one way doesn’t mean the next will begin the same.

It was only a few hours later when I read a Jerusalem friend’s post about enjoying a morning of mild temperatures then a strong cold storm blowing in and bending palm trees. Just because a day begins one way doesn’t mean it will stay that way. The winds are going to roar and bend us to what feels like a breaking point. We need to take cover. We need to problem-solve. We need to stay alert. Then, when sunshine and peace comes, we dig out and do what we can to prepare for what is next. Even if we don’t know exactly that is, even if we don’t have the exact tools we need, we can savor the moments of peace. We can trust God will spur us and provide us with preparation. We often experience change much slower than overnight, especially when we consider change as positive growth. Only the traumatic seems to happen overnight, but sometimes the devastation happens slowly, too.

However we experience change, whether good or bad, quick or slow, we can trust God. We know he has the perspective to span much time and the power to work in every moment. I am grateful, and I will continue to go to bed every evening with some hope for the new day and wake up every morning with some appreciation for what is behind me.