Slippin' and Slidin'...

For anyone reading this who is not in the Kansas City area (all six of you), we were creamed with a killer ice storm last weekend. We got a couple inches of sleet, a little snow mixed in here and there, only to be topped off with a good dose of freezing rain. Nasty stuff.

My house is on a hill. A steep one. Did I mention we had a really bad ice storm recently?

For a while, trying to shuffle up and down the hill wasn't too bad. Sure, it was a little dicey, but all you needed to do to safely get from point A to point B was just go slowly and take little steps. No problem. Yet now, over several days' worth of light melting and immediate refreezing, the sidewalk surface is like an ice skating rink. A downhill ice skating rink.

Needless to say, the hill is not half as easy to navigate now. So far I've slipped twice on the stupid thing. It's somewhat of a miracle that I didn't just keep sliding and wind up abruptly stopping against the side of the neighbor's car. Of course, I had my arms full of stuff each time I fell--I guess it's just not worth falling down if you don't have some good loose items to throw around when you do. Did you know a pen can skitter along a frozen surface for a good thirty feet before it runs out of momentum?

Today, I had to brave the hill again. The ice is still there, and true to form, it is even more treacherous than ever. I stood in my yard--or rather, stood on top of my yard (the grass is still buried an inch or two down)--and looked up at that sidewalk. It stretched before me, glistening, looming, taunting me--a classic case of woman vs. the elements. So far the elements have won twice.



Bring it on.



Reflecting tonight on that walk, this verse came to mind: "If I say, 'My foot slips,' Your mercy, O LORD, will hold me up" (Ps 94:18). As I faithfully, nervously shuffle my way up the narrow way--and though I'm prone to klutziness (physical and spiritual)--His mercy will never fail to bear me up. Even when it's scary, and even when it's painful, He will never leave me nor forsake me. He is so gentle in how He leads us!

And to properly resolve the cliffhanger, I made it up the hill in one piece. I know you were all wringing your hands in suspense. Or maybe not. But let's just hope I won't be back on here tomorrow with an object lesson for Proverbs 24:16... ("...a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again...")