Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

Winter has arrived. Well, sort of, anyway. We got our first big snow storm and it was a doozie. After raining much of the evening, it turned to snow overnight, greeting us with about six inches of wet, sloppy white stuff the next morning. After spending nearly an hour shoveling and knocking the snow off the trees, I thought I was done. But, the snow kept falling and those spots where I spent all that time and energy shoveling quickly covered back up again with snow.

• ·         It makes me crazy.
• ·         I don’t want to deal with it more than once.
• ·         A quick fix and then move on to the next thing, that’s my M.O.

It got me thinking. Do I sometimes approach my “stuff” that way? You bet, I do.

I want God to fix me, tidy me up and send me on my merry way. But that isn’t how it works. Some things just take time and impatient little me doesn’t like it. 

Those things we continue to struggle with, making progress one day and slipping the next:

• ·         Bad attitude
• ·         Impatience
• ·         Lack of self-control
• ·         Envy
• ·         Doubt
• ·         Anger

What I’m learning – the hard way, I might add – is that I cannot overcome these struggles on my own. If it were possible in my own strength, I wouldn’t need God. And, boy, do I need Him! I’m praying new words these days. Instead of “help me handle these temptations in my life,” I’m asking Him to step in and be what I can’t. I need to surrender and let the Holy Spirit lead. 

Trust me, it isn’t easy. But, it is possible. The Bible says with Christ, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). I may not be where I want to be with respect to my “list,” but I am nowhere near where I was when I started this journey with my Savior. I am thankful and grateful for the progress He’s made in me and I anxiously wait to see where He leads.

When I look at the snowy driveway, what He’s showing me is that the initial cleanup is the hardest part. Surrendering it to Him means letting go of me. The subsequent cleanings during the storm are far less painful because He’s holding the broom.