We get a lot of snow in the North. It's not unusual but that doesn't make it any easier to manage when it plummets the ground every year. Where I live, you can count on it. It will come.
Much like storms the storms of life. You can count on them. They will come. Jesus promises that. It may not be a popular teaching, but Jesus spoke it nonetheless.
He said, "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” He actually said, in John 16:33, that He spoke these words so that we would have peace.
Hmm... How is that possible?
Peace... knowing we will have storms?
Peace... knowing that there are challenges up ahead?
Peace... knowing the road won't always be easy to travel?
Peace... knowing the path will be hard to find?
Peace... knowing the mountain will be hard to climb?
How, Lord? How do we have peace KNOWING these things?
The answer is: in Him. We overcome with Him.
With His strength. With His power. With His Spirit to guide and lead us.
He is always pointing and leading our hearts towards Him... towards His love... towards "home."
This world is temporary. It is fleeting. If we trust He is safely leading us home, then we will follow the path, His path, that gets us there.
The fact that He waiting for us, beckoning, calling us.... to His home... is a peaceful thought.
This peace only comes from Him (John 14:27). He, alone, can give us perfect peace (Is 26:3) despite the life challenges we face.
I thought about this as I shoveled out a path to my "home" recently. The snow was up over my knees. I was in deep. I didn't know where to begin so I started at the furthest point away and worked towards "home."
I trudged out to my shed, treacherously chomping through the snow, crunch by crunch, as if I were an infant learning to walk, occasionally falling and tripping a time or two...
Once I got to my starting point, what I called "ground zero," I made the first dip into the formidable cold snow, and began to lift it from the hard ground.
Looking ahead to my "home" (which was my ultimate destination), this seemed a daunting task. The snow was heavy, the shovel was small, and my muscles were impaled by the blistering cold.
But I had a goal, and I had a vision; I had to get "home." If I kept going forward, surely, I would get home.
It was a laborious process. At times my shovel would hit an ice block and it would recoil as I dug in. The effects, of which, jolted throughout my body.
Other times, I would lose my balance from the roller-coaster up and down movements and would need to just "be still," on the path, until I was steady again.
Still other times, I would need to rest. There were moments on this path that I didn't think I could keep going so I stopped and rested, and leaned on my shovel for support.
About halfway through I looked back - to see how far I had come. There were times where I could see my path was not straight. But I kept going. I remembered the vision: to get "home." And I did.
Keep going. Keep on THE PATH. Remember the vision and always head towards "home."
You will get there.
And, I will see you there.
I just hope there won't be any more shoveling. 
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths." (Prov 3:5-6)
~Sherry Anne ©2023