Finding out what’s under all that snow

I stood on my front lawn with a rake in my hand. Some passersby wondered if I was rushing the season, others just shook their heads.

The truth is, I wasn’t readying the lawn for fertilizer, I wasn’t raking the lawn at all. I was raking the snow. In my unscientific opinion, scratching the icy surface off the snow banks and spreading the snow out, hastens its disappearance.

I always find it intriguing to walk through the yard at this time of year, noticing what the receding snow piles leave behind. A discarded coffee cup, a flyer announcing a sale last November, evidence from the deer, I even found a quarter.

As usual, most of the stuff left behind is garbage. Normally it wouldn’t accumulate, but the snow cover enables it to pile up, unnoticed.

Some of what I find on the lawn fits another category and stimulates a bit of thought. It can best be described as having once been valuable, in another time.

As I look at all the sand and gravel covering my lawn, I remember those winter nights when I was so grateful it was there. I never would have made it home without the traction it provided.

I needed it then, but now it’s a nuisance. Of course, a small amount of what’s left behind is pure treasure, a lost coin and a screwdriver dropped knows when.

Holding the rake while standing ankle deep in snow, I couldn’t help but think of how the whole deal represents my heart.

There are seasons when, regrettably, I allow some garbage to pile up. Flurries of activities and busyness prevent me from normal cleaning routines.

Then, there’s the clutter I’ve allowed to accumulate from other seasons. Things that served a purpose, that were there for a reason, but like the sand from the road, are now in the way, preventing the greening of my heart for a new day.

And of course, no matter how much clutter, there are always treasures buried deep inside begging me to take the time to notice them.

You might remember the story from the Older Testament of the Bible, of when a king was to be anointed. Candidate after candidate was paraded before the selection board. Fine specimens, tall, handsome and winsome.

After each one passed by, however, God said, “Not him.” In the end, when the selection was finally made, the principle was declared. “Man looks on the outward appearance,” the Bible says, “but God looks at the heart.”

God takes the time to rake all the snow and crud away and look deep down inside, to see what you’re really like.

I have two responses to all this. First, I can’t help but love a God who does that. A God who isn’t put off by the first, outer glimpse of the junk in my life, who cares enough to look deep down. Second, I’m highly motivated to do some spring cleaning.

If He cares enough to see the core of my heart, I want to care enough to clean out the garbage, to remove the debris from other seasons and to allow Him to see the treasures I keep there.

Thanks Lord, for yet another lesson, from a rake and a snowbank.

Tim Schroeder is a pastor at Trinity Baptist Church.