Friday, February 11, 2011

Keep Shoveling!

Phyllis Jones, from Harvey, Illinois went to the Metra station to take the train into Chicago the day after the historic blizzard of 2011. More than 1 ft. of untouched snow surrounded everything. She wasn’t surprised as she walked, crawled, and shuffled through parking lot snow drifts. This is the Midwest. She’d seen these messes before. She was surprised, however, when she got closer and realized someone was shoveling snow around the Metra stop. It was a welcome relief to find a path where she least expected it, through the snow right to the familiar, cleared bench she would sit on to wait for the train. The young man doing the shoveling was smiling and she smiled back. She thanked him for working so hard and asked him who he worked for, "Metra or the city of Chicago"? “Neither,” was his response, “my fiancĂ© has to come through here after she gets off work and I just want to make sure she can get through.”

Marthas' heart melted, as did the heart of the waitress at my favorite coffee shop when I read her the Sun Times story. “Now he’s a keeper!” she said. A buddy of mine was sitting in the booth adjacent and overheard our conversation. As the waitress walked away, without looking up from his paper, he commented; “Probably just a stalker.” Cynicism shows up regardless of the weather.

No, Charles Pryor is not a stalker, he’s a man in love. The 36 year old trumpet player met a woman who changed his life 6 months ago and he wants to make sure she has a way through.

And then I read another story about a man who wanted to clear a path. As Mark tells it, it’s the “beginning of the gospel.” Mark, chapter 1, is the story of a man preparing a way. It's the story of John the Baptist “making straight paths” so that the lover of your soul could get you.

I was thinking about the path Jesus had to walk to get to me. Someone had to shovel the lies and the shame and the fear out of the way so Jesus could knock on my hearts door. It’s amazing how preconceived ideas, arrogance, and pain can snow us in. It's amazing grace that shovels us out.

Looking back... remembering, I can see more than one face out in the driveway of my soul, removing the mess, making a straight path in a crooked world so that I could meet Jesus.

Thank you Mom & Dad, Lindy, Peggy, Bill, and Lynn! Thank you, Mike Stipp, Randy Hird, and Dale Campbell! These are the names of just a few of the "shovelers" in my driveway that cleared the way for Jesus to change my life.

Here's to all of you "shovelers" out there; pastors, teachers, greeters, friends of the forgotten and lovers of lost souls, those who continually remind us of God's love and our value! Don't give up! Some of our drifts are deep, but the truth you tell and the love you share is the "beginning of the Gospel" for us and you are making a difference!

Keep shoveling!

3 comments:

  1. I also parked in the same Metro Lot as Phyllis and took the Train into Chicago for many years. One day, in a snow storm, I met Blanche for the first time. She was walking to the train station and I rolled down my window and asked her if she wanted a ride. She was unable to drive due to a medical condition and for the next 3 years I picked her up at her house and brought her home after work despite my allergies to cats. She had 21 stray cats living in her home in Harvey. She eventually started attending church with us and now is a strong Christian. I have always found it extremely easy to do things (often huge things) for strangers and those around me. But wait. What about those closest to me. What about the wife? What about the kids? Are the paths cleared in their lives or has the snow fallen time and time again without shoveling? Why is it easier for me to shovel for others? Perhaps I like the praise, even though I try to give most of the credit to God? I have some shoveling to do in my relationship with my wife. The path started out clear. She did alright with a light dusting of snow and can even make it past a good layer of ice. I just tell her "Be careful". When the large snow storm of 2011 came she was extremely happy because she trains athletes in snow shoeing. She was out walking on the top of the snow, falling down, laughing and getting right up again. But what about "cherishing"? She felt cherished during our dating and early marriage, pathways were clear. But what about now? I think I need to do some needed shoveling and ice melting in the area of "cherishing". Thanks for you post. Larry Dykstra

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