1 Corinthians 13: 12-13. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then
we will see face to face. Now I know
only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.
Sometimes we have so much difficulty
seeing clearly what is ahead of us.
This winter I was at Holden Village, a retreat center in the
mountains above Lake Chelan. The photo to the right was taken out
my bedroom window, which was covered with snow.
The colors were beautiful, but I couldn’t tell at all what was beyond my
window, other than the snow. Less than
48 hours later, because of melting snow, I was able to see the trees and
buildings beyond my window. Life can be
like this—we struggle and struggle to make sense out of life, not seeing our
way out of a difficult situation.
Then something happens that changes
our vision and brings sudden clarity.
The confusion and struggle melt away as the snow did, opening up to an
answer. The snow melts when the
temperatures get warm enough. One can
wait for that to happen or use a shovel to dig your way through the snow. When our vision of a situation is blocked by
something, we may have to wait or perhaps there is something we can do to bring
clarity. What or who helps you when you are
in the midst of confusion and struggle and need clarity? Since my blocked window was on the 2nd
floor, I wasn’t capable of removing the snow.
I had to wait. Are you able to
wait when nothing you can do removes the block, when struggling is futile? How is God a part of finding clarity? How is
God a part of stopping the struggle and waiting?
