The lack of snow this winter is part of a drought that afflicts much of the middle of our nation. Virtually all of the high plains are experiencing a long-term extreme to exceptional drought. Northern Illinois is in a severe drought condition.
In December Lake Michigan set a record low for the past 150 Decembers and is predicted to go lower. There will be less lakeshore erosion as there is less lake. Harbors will be closed or reduced in capacity because there is not enough depth.
Most of us can do without the inconvenience of shoveling snow and spreading salt. Driving in winter is so much easier without the ever present danger of sliding off the road. But eventually all of us will feel the consequence of a lack of precipitation. We need rain. We need the snow. We just don’t need it all at once.
Just as rain has the potential for both growth and disaster, so the storms of our lives provide the opportunity for both growth and destruction. The task is not simply to survive, but to grow through the experience. One day of clear weather is a delight. An entire year of 365 days of clear weather produces a lifeless desert. Even our darkest hour, the loss of relationship or health or future, may become our finest hour if through it we can give peace to others.
I pray for rain (and snow).
Grace and Peace.
