“Snow Day!” Myles is thrilled to stay home. Bailey grunts, “Just one more day we’ll have to make up later.” She’s so positive.
As I pour my first cup of coffee, the best cup of the day, Myles begs me to go out and play. Bailey’s too proud to beg. I can hear the song lyrics in my head as I glance at her and pour the last of the peppermint mocha creamer into my mug.
“I don’t care.” I have no intentions of going out. I silently hope they won’t ask me to go with them. I’m certainly not offering myself up on the altar of frozen toes and fingers. I’ll be quite happy looking out the window, drinking my coffee, staying warm from the fire. No sireee, I am not an outdoors woman.
I sigh in relief because they don’t care if I come. They know by now it’s not my thing, although as they run off to gear up for the rare southern snowfall, I hear Bailey say, “Can’t wait till Daddy comes home.” Daddy likes snow. Mostly, Daddy likes pelting his children with hardpacked snowballs and watching them drop like flies. I enjoy watching from the window as they scream for him to stop.
A new cup of coffee later, the kids come barreling out of their rooms, layered up for the endless snowplay. “Mom, Bailey says not to eat yellow snow. What’s yellow snow?”
“When animals pee on the snow.”
“Eeew,” he smacks Bailey’s arm (as if she can feel it) and frowns, “Why would I do that?”
She laughs and opens the door. The gust of icy wind reminds why I’m not going out with them. “Have fun,” I call as they take off, Myles slips immediately on the patio but jumps up, “I’m okay!”
By my third cup of coffee, I hear the backdoor open and I’m all ready to yell at them, “Look, in or out. I’m not having you drip all over the floors and freeze the house out.” I walk into the living room and see Myles on the couch with a bowl of Cheetos and Bailey picking up wet clothes.
“What’s going on?”
Myles looks at me and sticks his feet out, “I got frostbite.”
“You haven’t been out long enough for frostbite.”
He shrugs, “Have you been out there?” I get his point. How would I know? I hide my grin and ignore his smart aleck remark, because it’s just Myles. He isn’t being rude or defiant.
“Bailey, are you going back out?”
“Maybe later.” I know what that means.
I know that’s a no. I reheat my cup of coffee, come back into my room and sit down at my desk to finish the last page of a Bible study and it hits me.
We, as Christians are a lot like my family on a Snow Day. We spend a lot of time talking about playing in the snow. I like the idea of it, but I’m not willing to even try. I enjoy the comforts of my own four walls. My kids go, but don’t stay out long enough to build anything. They spent more time gearing up than going out.
The world around us is forever like winter. Cold. Bitter. Icy enough for us to get bitten, but we must venture out and DO something. The four walls of our churches are too comfortable. We talk about going out. We gear up to go– through the preaching, programs, and plans. Some spend all their time gearing up and never going. Some stay inside without ever venturing out and knowing they never will. Some go out but don’t stay long–never laying foundations, building relationships with people who need Jesus or suffering the frigid temperatures to get it done. It doesn’t feel like fun. It’s just too uncomfortable.
