“It Sno-w Problem!”

In a year that has been milder than normal in most of the U.S. (as opposed to record cold in Europe and elsewhere), this New River Valley area surrounding Blacksburg, Virginia became the center of attention for many when a strong upper level low pressure spun by. It was a beautiful snow and one that didn’t really cause the problems that many winter storms bring. The temperature had been nearly 60 degrees the day before and was only at or just above freezing for most of the time it fell, so the snow didn’t cause as many traveling problems as it might have otherwise. It quickly piled up to 8”+ at my house! I took some beautiful pictures of the detail on the branches and everything else that the snow was clinging to (I have them posted on Facebook 😉). Playing off what has been the only significant snowstorm for our area this winter, I want to follow up on the theme of my last couple of articles and address an issue that we each should seriously consider: It Sno-w Problem!

When you get the point and take in what GOD was trying to teach you (see my last two articles), you are then faced with an important decision: What will you learn from what has just happened and how will you apply that in your life going forward? Now, what I am talking about in this article is what often happens when you are faced with a problem. Since pride is a natural problem and is exacerbated in a culture where knowledge increases and is easily accessible, the natural tendency for many is to look at what is happening and declare, “It’s no problem!” Denial is the common first response to any situation you are faced with that takes you outside of your normal routine. Whenever you are faced with more difficult situations, you see this response as well. When you lose a loved one or suffer from a broken relationship, or when some problem occurs in your home or with your possessions, you typically first respond with disbelief before your heart is then revealed. There is first that tendency to deny what has happened as it is different from the reality you are used to. You may counsel yourself and try to say “It’s no problem; I can make it through this and work this situation out.” You may even refuse to get any help and try to work through the problem on your own. While it is possible that you may also then respond by clinging to others around you, there is that sense of pride that often blinds you to learning what it is that GOD is trying to teach you.

After this first, natural “it’s no problem” response, you will either step back and learn from what just happened or you will go forward revealing deficiencies in your character. You will either learn and adjust what you need to be doing to try to solve the problem or you will emotionally respond by seeking to escape from the problem (essentially denying it) or you will attack the problem and even those involved (seeking to force your solution and will). When you escape from the problem you are continuing to deny what it is. You will avoid those involved in what happened, practically denying they really exist. You may even change your job or occupation or move to another area and start a new life there. This leaves the problem unresolved and any relationships irreconcilable. Similarly, when you forcefully attack the problem, you are proclaiming yourself to have the solution (essentially saying in pride, “It’s no problem!”), so you push others out of the way, even causing more problems by your trying to handle it alone. Do you see how this works? Do you see how this reveals where you are as a person? Do you understand how the “It’s no problem” thinking can slip down either side of the slope?

Friend, I trust you will learn with me and learn about how you can grow and change for the better! I trust you will not deny the internal problem that we all face. We all have this fallen nature that tends to lift up self and push others down. We naturally escape from problems or blindly attack them in what avoids peace and amiable solutions. The Virginia Tech Tragedy certainly reveals this (many authorities still denying the person who perpetrated this massacre [c.f. my poem, “Learn to Prevail—32 to 33”] ). You may need to evaluate how you respond to problems and how you may even be causing more problems and broken relationships. Be reconciled to GOD first, through trusting Jesus Christ and then seek to be at peace and reconciled with all others. Let HIM work and “It Sno-w Problem” for real! 🙂