Snowstorm

Matthew 24:37-42 – As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. (ESV)

The wind blew and the trees swayed as a harbinger of the coming storm. The sky grew dark and the clouds rolled in to unleash a heavy snowstorm. Within a few minutes there was an inch of snow on the ground, and we wondered how long it would last, and how deep the snow would get. As we pondered, looking out of the window, there was a flash of light. I thought someone had taken a picture with a camera flash because of the university's nineteenth-century gothic-arch-windowed chapel, which was in stark contrast to the white snow. It would have made a perfect setting for some Dickensian melodrama. But no, it was actually thunder and lightning.

The town came to a standstill. Earlier, there had been a chemical fire in a nearby town's industrial estate. Consequently, the adjacent motorway traffic had been diverted into the town for safety's sake, to get people away from the fumes. The town was blocked solid, and the gridlock in the town centre resulted in my queue being static for forty-five minutes. With the arrival of the snow, people were in a state of consternation, slipping on the pavements, stuck in cars and lorries, wondering how long it would be before they could get home.

All this happened so quickly that it made me think about our assumption that today will be the same as yesterday. Sudden, life-changing events happen all the time. It might be that today we find out that there are no more tomorrows for us! Following Jesus, let us seek to travel light, in the expectation of being ready when called upon to go.

Prayer: Lord, open our eyes to recognize what it is that You are doing in our lives today, so that we can be new vessels for You where we are. Enable us to be ready and willing to move on to where it is that You wish to take us, for tomorrow is a whole new day of opportunity. Amen.