Two hundred yards away, I saw a snowplow tearing down the road. “Back-up, back-up, back-up!” my brain shouted. “Oh no! What do I do? Back-up. Controls. What to push?” I looked up and the snowplow man’s eyes caught mine as if saying, “I can’t slow down. It’s too late.”
We are all called to do something whether it is to write books, care for someone, manage people, be an entrepreneur, or to drive a snowplow. The call for each person is unique to their personality and the way they are put together. How we answer that call, deep inside of our hearts, is what we become in life.
Sometimes there are lofty calls from God and sometimes it seems to be an everyday “something I have to do.” But if we keep our ears open and our hearts soft, we may hear a different call. Something as simple as retrieving the mail for someone after a heavy snow on a frigid winter day.
…I really didn’t feel like dealing with the cold, wind and snow.
This particular call was a phone call I had made to an elderly neighbor. Snowy and cold with the drifts beginning to form, I called to check and see if she was going out in the next couple of days. She had grown accustom to my cleaning out her drive and on this particular subzero day, I really didn’t feel like dealing with the cold, wind, and snow.
No, she wasn’t going to drive anywhere but yes, she needed to go out and get her mail. Okay, I thought. She is healthy and moves around pretty well for 88. She should be able to get the mail herself. She shouldn’t need her driveway cleared until the weather warms-up in a couple of days. But did I want to take the chance that she could fall out by the road trying to get her mail? I knew the area around the mailbox would be covered with hard, icy snow piled high by the snowplows.
With a heavy sigh
and God’s prompting, I decided to stop what I was doing and drive over to retrieve her mail. In the back of my mind, I thought about shoveling the stoop and the sidewalk. Not a big deal. Bundling up in my two feather coats, two sweat shirts, insulated leggings, jeans, wool socks, boots and ski gloves, I tossed the shovel into my SUV and headed over.
Getting and delivering the mail was no problem. She was grateful that she could stay in her warm home hugging a cup of hot tea. I then started using the snow shovel. Ugh! There was more snow than I had anticipated.
Now I knew I didn’t have a choice.
The voice of responsibility was calling me and I revved up her snowblower. Back and forth I proceeded with the heavy-duty machine throwing cold stinging pellets of snow across my face and glasses. When I finished with the large turn around, I ventured out to the road. Mind you, it is a busy road with cars flying by even though it is a residential neighborhood.
Oh no!
Approaching the road, I looked to my left making sure it was clear as I threw the snow into the yard. Two hundred yards away, I saw a snowplow tearing down the road. “Back-up, back-up, back-up!” my brain shouted. “Oh no! What do I do? Back-up. Controls. What to push?” I looked up and the snowplow man’s eyes caught mine as if saying, “I can’t slow down. It’s too late.”
I whipped around and bent low covering my head. Whack! Slam! Smash! The pieces of filthy dirty, slushy ice hit my back as the plow thundered down the road.
NICE!
Looking up, I stared at the truck until it disappeared around the curve. Wet, cold and now dirty, I wondered if answering the call was worth it.
I studied the drive. The route to the mailbox was now clear and safe, so I had achieved my purpose. Taking a deep breath of crisp, cold air, I admired the spacious path the snowblower and I had created in the midst of the winter wonderland. It was truly, a masterpiece to behold.
So was it worth answering the call? Absolutely!
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!
Are you listening? What is God calling you to do today?
Many Blessings!
Karen is an inspirational author and speaker for children and adults. She has a bachelor’s degree in music, is a caregiver, and has published five children’s books, a caregiver’s memoir, and authors a weekly blog.
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