Black Ice

On Friday, the schools were closed because of the threat of black ice.  It's that thin, but very slick sheet of ice that covers roadways when low temperatures and freezing rain combine.  Black ice is very deceitful.  It can be on a road or bridge, but it is clear and you don't see it.  When you realize you have hit black ice, your car is already skidding. 

With the schools closed, I was very content to stay home in my warm house and make no attempt to travel.  I refused to go anywhere, even though the 7 year old wanted to go 'somewhere' when she saw cars on our road.  I have no desire to risk damaging my car or hurting someone in an accident.  My daughter could not understand my refusal because she saw others driving and she could not see the black ice.

Sin is like black ice.  Just looking from a distance, everything seems fine.  Others are doing it, so it must be okay.  However, attempting to travel through sin will send a person careening against any number of obstacles.  Others may even try to sugarcoat sin like the DOT tries to put gravel and sand on black ice.  No matter how safe it looks, there is still black ice under the gravel, just as there is still sin under the sugarcoated picture.

What can we do?
Hebrews 3:13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 

When dealing with the threat of sin, we can seek counsel in our Bible and with other Christians, just as we would consult the weather and road reports when dealing with the threat of black ice.

Landslide

One of the places that many of my friends and family enjoy visiting is the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge areas of Tennessee.  With only a few routes to get there from GA, the shortest and most scenic one is taking the Newfound Gap Road.  It's 34 miles of curvy mountain road running from Cherokee, NC to Gatlinburg, TN.  Last week, after days of rain and flooding, there was a landslide that took out about 200 feet of the road.

http://www.nps.gov/grsm/parknews/nfg-landslide.htm

The Newfound Gap Road was completed in 1932.  It is hard for me to imagine how the engineers were able to make the mountainside stable enough to support a road, as well as the weight of thousands of vehicles each year.  Now 80 years later, the road is closed until the builders are able to recreate a stable foundation and reconnect the roadway.  

As I looked at the photos of the damage, I was reminded of Jesus teaching the parable of building solid foundations.  

Luke 6:47-49  Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”

When the rains come, does your life look like a landslide?  Is everything washed away?  Or, when the rains come, do you feel safe and secure knowing that you are trusting that all things work together for good to those who love God.  

Experts will be hard at work getting this road rebuilt and opened.  Who is your Expert when storms come into your life?

Consolidation Hesitation

Have you ever been working someplace when upper management had a major change?  That's what happened with my employer this week.  Regardless of how much you've been told or how much you understand, there is a feeling of apprehension when the event actually occurs.  You have a sense that you are losing control because the everyday tasks to which you are accustomed could change.  

After working somewhere for a long time, you sort of know what to expect in almost every situation (mainly because you've seen them all).  I have a feeling that it's not so much the possibility of change, but rather the unknown that has made me a little uptight this week.  New bosses come with new ideas.  New ideas come with new ways of doing things.  Is that really bad?

I say no.  I still have a job I love, working with people I love!  If there is a change, we'll adapt and roll with it.  If I need to learn new things, I'm ready.  As long as I continue to do my job to the best of my ability, I can feel confident that things will work out for our good - just like a faithful servant.

Matthew 25:20-21   And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.  His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Besides, we should work to live and not live to work.  Living is carrying out God's work and He alone gives us the power to do that.

I Corinthians 15:58   Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Goodbye hesitation.  :)

Floss & Bobbins

After 12 wonderful days of Christmas vacation, I returned to work on January 2nd.  It wasn't too bad - I made it to work on time, I caught up with those in my office, and I even took my lunch (leftover New Year's meal minus the greens!).  It was a fairly calm three days, but by Saturday I was out of steam.

When I woke on Saturday morning, I had no real energy and no desire to get anything accomplished.  I needed rest, but the six year old was up and awake.  I had to come up with something that would allow me to rest as well as keep us occupied.  The answer was embroidery floss. 

I have a lot of embroidery floss, but I have never taken the time to really organize it.  Bingo!  We spent most of the day on Saturday sitting on the floor, winding embroidery floss around bobbins.  We labeled the bobbins with the color and code.  When we ran out of the store bought bobbins, we began cutting them out using paperboard from old cereal boxes.  Yes, she got bored.  After a few hours, she told me that we had spent too much time together and she needed to go to Grammy & Pop's house!  My dad picked her up at lunchtime.  Strangely she took some of the floss and bobbins to keep working on our project.

After she left, you would think that I could have picked myself up out of the floor and done something.  Nope!  I was content to sit there and continue winding floss around the bobbins.  I thought I would feel guilty the next day because I didn't clean anything or wash any clothes, but I didn't.  I felt rested and ready for the new day.  I talked to a friend at church about it.  She nodded and said, "You just needed something mindless to do."  Yes, that was it.  I needed to rest my mind and my body. 

Mark 6:30-31  Then the apostles gathered to  Jesus  and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.  And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."  For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.