by My thoughts as I shovel snow usually tend to be around money, for one reason or the other. It’s not something I guess I’m proud of, but it is the truth.
The first time I had to shovel I believe said thoughts centered around my sons and I forming a snow shoveling empire. We’d start out small with shovels and since we still are planning to homeschool our kids, we could offer premium service shoveling before people got home from work. From the profits of the shovel, we would upgrade to a snow thrower, and eventually graduate to a truck with a plow on the front.
More recently, though, I started to wonder if we, as a family, should have some kind of “Evangelism” category in our budget that would allow us to provide for those in need around us, to pay for a neighbor kid to shovel it.
The other day, I thought something else, though. I saw the shoveling and the sun as a joint effort between God and man. I was doing the work moving, but only God could make my driveway black. I saw that in what He asks of us– He expects us to give our best for Him, and He will do the rest. Like sharing the Gospel– we are responsible to give the Word to all men. He’s responsible to take that Word and make a new creation.
This may sound weird MIn, but I loved it when I was at home (at my mom’s house) and shoveling the snow. I’d take my dog out and she’d be out playing while I shoveled and after the shoveling was done, there was breakfast & coffee/hot chocolate. Also loved to just have my walkman on and tune in for some good preaching. It’s really a time to clear my mind and to reflect on things.