Blessings in the Snowstorms

What thoughts come to mind as the snow falls? Is it thoughts of building snowmen or snowball fights? Is it the shovelling that will need to be done and the time that it will take?

Recently in my life, the Lord has shown me in a new way how important it is to see both the joys and the hard parts of life. Often, he catches me off guard by revealing that both exist in the same moment. I love the snow and always have. For me, when I see the snow falling, no matter how I am feeling, I can’t help but smile. In the midst of the cold and this period of waiting for spring, the snow reminds me of how God is constantly pouring down his blessings on me.

This past year has seen many significant changes in my life. It included Sr. Anna’s passing, my First Promises, and then new responsibilities in the community. Then, the Lord gave me a time of surrender in moving me to Ottawa to take time for healing and recovery from an injury. The Lord has given me a gift to see the “bright side” of almost anything. Last year, however, I started to see that the gift is not so much in seeing the bright side of struggles but in being willing to walk through the struggles with the Lord and hold tight to him.

Sometimes blessings come when they are least expected. I remember a song called Blessings by Laura Story. The lyrics are,

“All the while you hear each spoken need, 
yet love us way too much to give us lesser things. 
What if your blessings come through raindrops?
What if your healing comes through tears?
What if the thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know you’re near?
And what if trials of this life are your mercies in disguise?”

Lord, what if your greatest blessings come through the raindrops? These lines strike my heart and help me to put words to my experience.

Often, I would much rather skip over the hard things the Lord has allowed into my life, the raindrops and snowstorms, and jump right to that bright side that I can see. Yet, so often it is in the hard that the Lord is taking the time to teach me and grow me. It is there that I find him closest. It is in the difficulties that I learn to trust and learn what true surrender looks like. It is there that I find, often in hindsight, that the Father has showered down the greatest abundance of blessings in my life.

Someone recently told me, “Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean you are doing anything wrong.” It’s not about how easy or how hard what I am going through in the moment is, or about how quickly I can skip over it to joy. My growth is in how willing I am to be in the moment God is allowing me to experience, and my ability to seek him no matter what, and to sit with him in the midst of the joys and the hard times.

One scripture that inspires me and shows me that God sees me in my trials and difficulties is this scripture from Exodus 3:7:

“The Lord said: I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt and have heard their cry against their taskmasters, so I know well what they are suffering.” 

He knows what I am suffering, yet he is mysteriously behind the scenes and working something greater for my good. Psalm 56 also helps me realize how the Lord sees me when I am suffering:

^“ My wanderings you have noted;
    Are my tears not stored in your flask,
    recorded in your book?”

Thank you, Lord, that though the snowstorms can roar and our bodies can struggle, you are with us. You know well what we are suffering, and you see our tears and collect them in your bottle. Thank you, Lord.

Would you be willing to join me in this prayer today?

God, what are you showing me about the struggles I am facing right now? How are you calling me to invite you into these struggles today? I know you are with me even when I can’t see it. Show me how the raindrops and snowstorms in my life are bringing your greatest blessings. Amen.