It has been a cold and unusual winter. The last few weeks have brought snow storms and Arctic air, the combination of which has been difficult to contend with the elements.
And so, the ice dams began forming on the back of our house.
They are stunningly beautiful and most fascinating to watch as they form. The manner in which they reflect the light is brilliant, much like the brilliancy of diamonds.
Each day I would go to our back door to take a peek at them, noticing they were stretching longer in length and beginning to thicken. Then there began the development of a second row behind the first ones which had formulated. This is when I knew I had to get myself into gear.
Yes, they are beautiful and mesmerizing, however, they are also damaging.
Six inches, not an embellishment in the least, and it took chopping away a layer at a time. With a screwdriver in one hand and a hammer in the other, pounding away at the ice, creating a fault line by which to loosen the chunks of ice.
It has taken days of chopping and shoveling to get out from the ice which then developed on the back deck. It has been back breaking, every muscle straining and crying for me to stop, and exhausting.
But the time was not wasted as God brought lessons to be learned:
- Appearances can be deceiving. While the ice was beautiful and admired, it was quietly causing underlying and unseen damage.
- Beauty ≠ true value or something good.
- Beware of wolves in sheep clothing.
All of this brought me back to the garden where it all began. We really aren’t much different than Eve.
When the serpent came to her with the temptation to eat of the fruit from the tree which God had commanded them not to partake of, she made two mistakes.
First mistake – she listened to the serpent, entertaining the words he was saying to her.
Second mistake – she looked at the tree and the fruit.
“When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.” (Genesis 3:6, NASB)
It looked good. The sight was delightful. And she took the bite.
That is all it took. Much the way I became fascinated with watching the ice form on our house. Sure it was beautiful and delightful, but … it also created backbreaking work.
Let’s we be wise and heed the words of Paul:
“But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, NASB)
May we remember –
“All that glitters
is not gold.”
Lois Flowers aptly calls it Parking Lot Grace. ““We have to drive defensively, but we can’t live defensively. Not if we want to have a godly influence in a culture where angst and outrage are so prevalent.” So very true. Read her post “A Helpful Lesson from the High School Parking Lot” HERE.
Come, sit a spell. Bring your coffee, your posts, and your thoughts. If you link up, kindly visit those who have drawn up a seat around you.
** The photo, taken by me, was the ice which had me fascinated for a bit 🙂
