Spontaneity and the Snow

"Isn't March 21st technically the first day of spring?" we asked aloud as we watched the snow fall. It was coming down surprisingly heavily, especially considering that it was in the 70's a few days ago. Neither of us were dressed for the occasion - both of us in light workout clothes and me in shorts. "Do you still want to go to the gym?" Emily asked. "Of course!" I replied, so we ventured out into the winter wonderland...in the middle of March. 

Since it was after dark, the snow flakes drifted at an angle in the bright white parking lot lights. Emily and I giggled as the snow blew into our eyes and accumulated in little puff balls on our shirts. There is something magical about such a spontaneous snow, and nothing could rob my joy in that moment. 

Even when Emily accidentally stepped in a puddle that filled her tennis show with cold rain water. 

I reminded her, "If it will be funny later, then it is funny now!" I think that finally got a laugh out of her. 

We picked up the pace since we had to walk half way across campus. "My face is freezing!" I exclaimed with a smile that I could not contain. 

"You're freezing? Look at me!" 

I glanced at Emily to see that she had pulled her rain jacket hood over her face, and her nose and eyes were peeping out - and completely frosted in giant snow flakes. 

I burst into laughter and said, "You look hilarious!" By that time, we were both thoroughly enjoying how ridiculous and wonderful this random snow was. 

All day long, I had been hearing unhappy complaints about how cold it was and how spring needed to hurry up and get here and how much people hate winter weather. Yes, it is true that the weather here has a mind of its own. We have warm days and cold days and drastic shifts of temperatures in very short times. We get glimpses of spring time and then we suddenly get a snowfall like this one. 

I have grown up in Arkansas, and to this day, I never check the weather. It is because every day is a surprise, and I love surprises. 

After all, can you imagine how boring it would be if the weather was the same all the time? 

Just this morning, I was grabbing coffee with a friend and talking about life and graduation and missions and God. And she said something that I remembered as I skipped through the snow. "I just love change." 

With that statement, we found something that we powerfully have in common. We talked about how people often make the generalization that change is terrible and that no one likes change. "I just simply disagree! Look at us - we love change!" 

By nature, I have a type-A personality that wants to plan everything and keep all my ducks in a row. But over the past few years, the Lord has freed me to find joy in spontaneity, adventure, the unknown, and change. I look back on my little life so far and recognize that greatest times of growth in my life revolved around change - going to college, taking an internship in Nicaragua for the entire summer when I didn't know a single person there, going through an eating disorder, and now graduating college and pursing a long-term missions commitment that may lead me to buy a one-way plane ticket to Africa very soon. 

Change is what makes life an adventure. Change teaches us to trust God in the unexpected, in the surprising, and through the unknown. Change brings about the spiritual growth that comes from knowing God in new ways. Change allows us to watch God do something in your life that wouldn't be possible at any other time or in any other circumstance. 

Change is the weather suddenly dumping snow when it is supposed to be the first day of spring. And so we learn to forget the weather channel and to throw away our predictions and unnecessary expectations. We embrace spontaneity and dance in the snow with great joy. Because change  is good for us all. We learn to have the faith of a child - the kind of faith that loves surprises. 

And eventually we get to the place where we can say: "I love being in a place where I have no idea what God is doing, but I know that He does, and so I trust Him."