I once heard that Pennsylvania is the only state where you can experience all four seasons in one day. That’s an exaggeration, but we definitely went from winter to spring last Wednesday, and back to winter on Thursday. I mean, really. It was zero degrees outside last Tuesday morning. The next morning it was in the 40s. Seriously?
The blizzard on the 19th and 20th really stressed me out. Normally I would just hole up during a snowstorm. What’s the point in risking ditching my car or getting into an accident when I know the roads are bad?
Saturday night just happened to be my brother’s birthday party. I had to go. Mom and Dad hosted the party. The route from my house to theirs requires driving down a hill, then climbing a steady grade, crawling down a twisting hill, crossing a bridge, and ascending yet another steep hill. I was white knuckling the steering wheel and praying, believe me. But God got us there and back, despite traveling on one road that hadn’t even been plowed.
One glance at my road on Sunday morning convinced me driving would be treacherous. My brain told me not to venture out to church. I prayed about it, and felt God wanted me to go. Grr! I was so frustrated. It made absolutely no sense.
I have to drive down Adamsville Hill to get to church. It’s a five percent grade. That may night seem like much, but it’s a steep hill, especially when it’s covered in a couple inches of snow and ice.
Mercifully Dad called and offered to drive my family to church in his four-wheel drive Dodge Ram. You can bet I took him up on his offer. It was a good thing, too, since, despite being plowed, roughly 10 inches of snow drifted onto Adamsville Road. I’d have gotten stuck, for sure, in my Ford Focus, endangering myself, my family, and other drivers.
When we got to church, we were surprised to see a dozen cars or so. As I scanned the parking lot, I realized there was one common denominator: four-wheel drive.
Worshipping with 16 other stalwart souls totally washed away my anxiety and refreshed my spirit. I felt warm and happy the whole time I was there. Pastor Larry led the service as if it were a cozy Bible study. He cancelled Sunday school and we hit the road as soon as church ended.
We didn’t leave the house again that day. I felt like God had led me on a trust exercise and rewarded me with a wonderful worship experience. I could’ve used common sense and stayed home, savored hot lemon ginger tea, and read my Bible, but I would have missed out on a revitalizing worship experience.
The moral of the story? When God wants to show His power by urging you to go on faith, go. He’ll get you there. And if you’ve got a four-wheel drive vehicle, you can go on faith in it.
Have a wonderful week. Blessings!