Wired 4 Christ

I went up to Truckee this weekend with about ten other young adults as part of the church’s College and 20’s retreat.  One of the highlights of the retreat was our trip to the snow. We walked to a secluded spot, isolated from the flocks of tourists gathered at the large resorts.  During the entire journey, we did not see a single footprint that wasn’t our own.  There was something very peaceful about it.

As we made our way to the top of the hill, some students began sledding, and others started to build a snowman.  My girlfriend Lissette was alone working on a snowman of her own.  I don’t know how many snowmen she has built before, but considering she is from Ecuador (which literally means Equator), it is safe to assume the number is rather low.  She described to me her vision: Instead of building a traditional snowman, Lissette wanted her snowman to have legs.

Being the amazing boyfriend that I am, I offered her a few kind words of encouragement by saying, “Lissette, give up.  It can’t be done.  You are wasting your time.”  But she was stubborn and unwilling to take no for an answer. She tried many different techniques, but each time the body was placed onto the legs, the snowman crumbled to the ground.

We were on the hill for about an hour, and the rest of the group was exhausted and ready to head back into the warm cabin.  Lissette stalled for about five minutes, desperate to finish the snowman she had been working on for the past hour.  As I turned to bring her back to the rest of the group on the other side of the hill, I saw the pride in Lissette’s face.  Standing beside her was a 3-foot tall snowman with legs.  It wasn’t perfectly sculpted and symmetrical, but at this point, that hardly mattered.  It was beautiful.

Later that evening, Lissette asked a very poignant question: What If I had that same sense of perseverance in the rest of my life?  What if I had that same patience with God?

I think this is exactly the type of patience God expects us to have.  The Christian life is not easy.  We hear many voices, both from the outside world and within our own heads, telling us to give up our Christian life.  This whole Christianity thing is a myth.  It’s not real.  It can’t be done.  You’re not a perfect Christian; you’re just wasting your time.

But God isn’t asking us to be a perfect Christians; he is only asking that we try.  No matter how many times we get knocked down, we must get back up and keep moving forward.  God does not judge us on the beauty of our snowmen, but rather on the heart that made it.  If we can maintain our patience, perseverance, and faith, we will, in the end, receive the ultimate reward.  The end result will be a snowman entirely unique to each of us.  And while our work may not be pretty, our Father will notice the effort, and continue to bless us for eternity.

- Greg Rapier

Lissette's Snowman with legs

~ by faithpresyouth on April 4, 2011.

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