Until then, we are stuck

We awoke to three inches of new snow this morning, a laughable amount to a northerner, until one realizes that a solid sheet of ice covers the roads underneath. Schools throughout the state were scheduled to be closed, even before it started to snow.  "O LORD, have mercy,"  southerners respond to this kind of weather.

In the north, forecasters say, "deal with it."  In the south, one is urged to "stay home."  The newsman this morning talked about a warming spell and sunny skies coming this weekend and stated "until then, we are stuck."  It is already March, but don't put away your space heater yet.

Three inches of snow is not the issue, but what lies underneath. What appears beautiful and white on the outer layer only disguises what is treacherous in reality.

What lies beneath the surface in our situations and relationships? What is the real story here?  When we watch a movie, I am sometimes interested more in the "special features" --how the movie was made -- than in the story that is portrayed.  Sometimes that is the deeper epic.

Everybody has a story underneath. 

Why is she acting that way?  What would possess him to do that? What is the slick sheet of ice that I cannot see on the surface?  There is always a reason for it.  Desperate people do desperate things.

What lies below the "fresh snow" -- deep wounds, scars that have not healed, destructive patterns of behavior, and despair? Mistakes, miscommunication, or even irrational fears?

The reality underneath impacts everything about you and everything you do.

But God does not intend for us to be paralyzed by that.
Just redeemed.

That's why Jesus came.

If we confess our sins,
He is faithful and just,
and will forgive our sins
and cleanse us
     from all unrighteousness.

                  1 John 1. 9

And then
       what lies below the surface?
Exactly what is at the core of who I am
                -- a life forgiven.

Unlike Nashville in a March ice storm, I am not stuck by what has happened in my past, nor even by what I face today, but strengthened by what only God can redeem.

It starts with, "O LORD,
             have mercy on me"
and following Him
  into the forgiveness
  that is already there.