Snow

One night and morning, we got a bunch of snow in front of our house. As pretty much every other house does, I went out when it had slowed down to get it shoveled away so we could get our cars out and it would not create an even bigger mess later on. About halfway down the driveway I saw it: the dreaded plow truck. I watched in dismay as it shoved an extra layer of wet snow onto the end of the drive and proceeded down the street. This is normal, but I was hoping for a chance to get the first layer off before the second got put on as well.

By the time I got to the heavy snow at the end I was running out of steam. Even better, as I have an arrangement for parking my car across the street in my older neighbor’s second drive, I had that one to do as well. I began wondering if I really would need my car that day…

As I was contemplating this decision, I heard a sound: the lovely, wondrous sound of a small-cylinder engine. Looking up I saw one of the teenage boys down the street bringing over his family’s snow blower. He had seen me taking a break and had come to help. He plowed out the heavy snow in my driveway, plowed the driveway across the street, and then plowed the older couple’s main driveway while I helped our next door neighbor with a second round of heavy snow brought by a second plow truck. The young man did not ask for payment, thanks, or anything of the sort. He simply saw a need and went to fill it without boasting or seeking praise.

This reminds me of the attitude we are to have in our own lives. Time and again Scripture tells us to help those in need. It does not give qualification. It does not tell us to judge if they are worth helping. Jesus says in Matthew 6:1, “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your father in heaven.”

Every person reading this has opportunity to quietly do good for others. It is one way we show our faithfulness to Christ. It is so easy to get caught up in our day to day activities that we start thinking we do not “have time” for it, but that is simply not true. We have the time. It is a matter of priority. The question is what will we choose?

There is a time and place for big, grandiose aid, but those tend to be few and far in-between. It is in the daily life of watching for those who need help that we find the vast majority of our opportunities to do so. It is my encouragement to you that you watch for and take those opportunities whether big or small, so that Christ may be glorified as you go about your daily life. If we were all to do this, and shine the light of Christ in our actions and words, both big and small, there is no telling how far those seeds we plant will go!