As a young girl, growing up in Pennsylvania, winter meant snow and snow meant sledding, ice skating and building snowmen. Snow was plentiful for building these snowy men. Hats on our heads, homemade mittens on our hands, and boots on our feet, my sisters and I would head out to build the biggest snowman we could. We would each start with a small ball and roll till we could move it no more. Then we would get help and 2 or more of us would roll that one snowball until we could not budge it another inch. Another snowball would be rolled near the first one and then with many hands we would grasp the second snowball trying to place it on the first one. Alas, more often than nought we found that second snowball too heavy for us. We would lift it a few inches and then with a heavy thump it would slip from our grasp and hit the ground, breaking into pieces. Again and again we would try, usually to no avail. At last we would abandon the large snowballs and begin anew. This time, working on snowballs for a smaller snowman. Amidst, numbing fingers and freezing toes we would finally have our snowman built. This last attempt was always much smaller then our dreams of that first huge snowman. Pride was still felt in each of our small hearts as we stood back and looked at our handiwork. Then into Mom and the warm house to thaw out our fingers and toes. It usually wasn't too long after that, that Dad would get home and we would eagerly tell him about our snowman that we had built. Tales of that first huge snowball was told as well, though it had amounted to nothing but a snowball.
The next morning as we headed out the door and down the steps to school our eyes widened in surprise. For there alongside the "walkside" was a snowman with such immense proportions that we stood in silent wonder. Where once had been that huge snowball and the pieces of another broken snowball surrounding it, now stood the big snowman of our dreams. Only bigger, and taller and whiter. The night before Dad had gone out and taken our broken snowball and formed it once again into a round, smooth ball. And then one by one he began placing snowball after snowball on top of one another until the snowman was head and shoulders above my Dad. A hat from my Dad's hat rack and a scarf from the coat rack graced this "man" of snowy beginnings. For days we admired that snowman, always wondering how in the world Dad could have built that wonderful snowman from our bungling and broken attempts.
Those long ago days bring to mind a few lessons we should learn. First, that each snowman is different and unique just as God has made us special and unique. Next, we learn that building snowmen is hard work. Likewise, building the snowmen of love, patience, caring, and joy into our everyday lives is hard work. Many times our attempts fall with a thump to the ground below and break into big chunks of disappointment. Remember, though, we have a Heavenly Father who is ready to take our broken attempts and build up our life once again for His glory. Others will then be able to look on with awe, as our Heavenly Father takes that once broken snowball of our life and molds us into a special and unique person of great value to Him.
"I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works: and that my soul knoweth right well." Psalm 139:14
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Jeremiah 29:11
The next morning as we headed out the door and down the steps to school our eyes widened in surprise. For there alongside the "walkside" was a snowman with such immense proportions that we stood in silent wonder. Where once had been that huge snowball and the pieces of another broken snowball surrounding it, now stood the big snowman of our dreams. Only bigger, and taller and whiter. The night before Dad had gone out and taken our broken snowball and formed it once again into a round, smooth ball. And then one by one he began placing snowball after snowball on top of one another until the snowman was head and shoulders above my Dad. A hat from my Dad's hat rack and a scarf from the coat rack graced this "man" of snowy beginnings. For days we admired that snowman, always wondering how in the world Dad could have built that wonderful snowman from our bungling and broken attempts.
Those long ago days bring to mind a few lessons we should learn. First, that each snowman is different and unique just as God has made us special and unique. Next, we learn that building snowmen is hard work. Likewise, building the snowmen of love, patience, caring, and joy into our everyday lives is hard work. Many times our attempts fall with a thump to the ground below and break into big chunks of disappointment. Remember, though, we have a Heavenly Father who is ready to take our broken attempts and build up our life once again for His glory. Others will then be able to look on with awe, as our Heavenly Father takes that once broken snowball of our life and molds us into a special and unique person of great value to Him.
"I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works: and that my soul knoweth right well." Psalm 139:14
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Jeremiah 29:11
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