fully alive while shoveling snow
the snow has been falling the past few days – which means i have shoveled my drive more than a few times. as i was shoveling the snow yesterday, i noticed that our neighbor across the street – who usually is the first one to take care of any household task like shoveling snow – had not shoveled at all. when he got home, i happened to be outside, so i asked him if everything was okay. he explained that several weeks ago he had neck surgery. this is why he hadn’t shoveled.
so today, after shoveling my drive once again, i took care of his drive and sidewalk as well. as i did, god reminded how blessed it is to do life together with others, to come alongside of them in times of need, and to do what we can to serve them in some way.
it never ceases to amaze me how fulfilling this is…just another indication of the fact that we have been made in god’s image. we were created for community, life together, and limitless generosity as a reflection of who he is and who he made us to be. there is something deep within us that beckons us to give ourselves away for the good of others – just as jesus did for us. when we do, as counterintuitive and countercultural as it may seem, it is there that we find the greatest sense of life and the realization of what it means to be truly and fully human.
