M-Note 2.2.22

By Matt Miofsky

Today, snow is in the forecast for St. Louis, a lot of snow. My kids were excited when they called school off early last night. I know many people can work from home or call in. But, my wife is a nurse manager and works in a hospital. So, early this morning I drove her to the hospital to save her the walk from the parking garage. As I was driving home at 40 mph on the interstate, I thought about the yearly ritual of St. Louis shutting down for a snowstorm. Years ago, I wrote some lessons that snow days can teach us. I thought I would update the list and share some new musings on what we can learn from days like today:
 
1. Snow days force us to slow down. I never drive 45 mph on the interstate! Normally we are in way too big of a hurry. When we cannot slow down ourselves, God sometimes does it for us.
 
2. Snow days remind us of what is essential. Warm shelter? Check. Food and drink? A must. Meaningful work? I hope! Time with people that you love? Yes. There are a lot of other extraneous things on our radar screen these days. But much of it is fluff (no pun intended).
 
3. Snow days reveal our lies. “I have so much to do today”, “I am too busy for…”, “My work is so important”. No you don’t, no you’re not, and no it isn’t. While some of us have to still go in to work today (like my wife), snow days still show us that so much of what fills our calendar is more flexible than we imagine.
 
4. Snow days beg us to play. When my kids were young, they were up bright-and-early begging to go play in the snow. I have teenagers at home now, so they are not as eager to get out of bed and go outside. It reminds me that as we get older, we often neglect to play. There is more to life than wake up, eat, work, chores, work some more, and go to sleep. If you have a chance, go outside and play in the snow. If that isn’t your thing, perhaps the next two days will give you a surprise moment to rest. If God finds time for relaxation and rest, so can you.
 
5. Snow days demonstrate who is really in control. This is a theme of the past two years of our lives! Too often, we think we are in control. But from COVID to snow days, we are reminded that we are not. Instead of focusing on the things we cannot control, snow days refocus us on the things we can. We don’t get to control all the circumstances of our life, but we do get to decide how to live in all circumstances. Don’t neglect what you can control, and don’t get anxious about what you can’t!
 
Stay safe. Stay warm. And stay connected to God, to church, and to those you love.
 
It looks like the snow will clear out in time for the weekend, so I hope to see you in worship.
 
Peace,

P.S. This weekend, The Gathering has been offered a special opportunity to watch the new documentary Mission: JOY for free. Deeply moving and laugh-out-loud funny, Mission: JOY is a documentary with unprecedented access to the unlikely friendship of two international icons who transcend religion: His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. In this final joint venture before the death of Desmond Tutu, the two offer us wisdom on how to live with more joy, despite the circumstances of our world. This weekend, Eden Seminary has offered us free access to watch the film. You can stream it right at home beginning this Friday until Sunday night. If you want to watch it, just sign up for access by visiting the link below.