I may be responsible for bringing the snow to this area. It could never be proved in a court of law though, so I think I’m safe. 

You know how it is, the one who brings bad news is considered bad news himself. That’s why the phrase, “don’t kill the messenger”. 

Apparently, there were at one time a lot of well-meaning people with unpopular messages getting knocked off for saying their peace.

You see that in the movies. It’s always the crime boss – some crime syndicate kingpin – who shoots the guy who simply tells him, “Ya, boss, he got away”. That poor guy is never seen again. 

I don’t want to be that guy. 

But on Saturday I decided to put the Christmas lights up on our house. 

It was a great day for it. The weather, as they say, was balmy. I didn’t even have a coat on at first. Only later did I put on a light jacket. 

It made sense to put up the lights when it was warm out. I’ve experienced many years when I waited too long and ended up freezing my hands off, up on the ladder. I didn’t want that to happen this year so I got the job done. 

The very next day it snowed. 

At first I thought it was harmless. The snow was melting as fast as it was falling. But in the end, there was a layer of the white stuff that began to stick to the ground. 

Then came the freezing rain which created a protective glaze to the snow. 

And I knew … that maybe … I was to blame.

When you have bad weather, there has to be someone to blame. We used to blame the weatherman. But in more recent years we have widened the net to include innocent people who are in the wrong place at the wrong time.

You know how it goes. When you’ve travelled from one part of the country to another, the first thing people say to you after you land is, “Did you bring this weather with you?” … as if you had packed it in your suitcase and checked it with the luggage! 

It doesn’t even help when you tell them, “No, I just came with a carry on.” Like how in the world could you ever manage to stow the weather in something as small as a carry on bag? 

Still, I do feel a little responsible for the snow. Maybe if I had delayed putting up the lights we would have had a few more days of nice, warm weather. 

I just have to keep a low profile for a couple of days. I understand that the temperature is on the rise and all this will soon be gone. 

Then whatever I have brought on – whether real or completely and ridiculously imaginary – will be deemed forgiven and forgotten. 

All I have to do is stay away from those crime bosses till then.

Here’s the thing: No one wants to be responsible for something they didn’t do or bring about. But that is exactly what Jesus willingly did. He died not for His sins but for our sins. He wasn’t responsible but He took on the role of being responsible. The punishment for that was death. He died for our sins – more specifically, He died for your sins and my sins. That act frees us from facing the punishment we would be responsible for. When we place our faith in Christ’s sacrifice and seek His forgiveness, we are free. That is something we all need to consider. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you often feel responsible for that you shouldn’t? Leave your comments and questions below.

Subscribe to my blog and received posts like this one delivered to your email inbox twice weekly.