When the conditions are right, it’s so natural to revert back to snowball fight mentality.

This winter we’ve seen a lot of snow. At one point I didn’t think the snow would melt until May. But we had a week of warm weather and the white stuff just faded away, helping us forget all the snow that had been dumped on us.

However, not long after the snow was gone we received another gift of white flakes from the sky that covered the ground once again … kind of like a last-ditch attempt to remind us that it is still winter.

The next day I knew that it would not last long. I looked out at my snow-covered driveway and thought, “Is it possible that it will melt today, or will it take more than a day to disappear?”

One thing I knew for sure was that this snow was not going to last long.

Though I was tempted to leave it, I decided to clear off the drive and walkway and let the sun dry it all up. Lily decided to join me. As I started to shovel, I paused and stooped down. The consistency of the snow was perfect – perfect for making snowballs, that is.

I put the shovel down and picked up a handful. As I started to form a snowball with my hands, I looked around for a target to throw it at. And there was only one worthy target … it was even a moving target!

Lily had started shovelling the walk and I hit her square in the back. She swung around and laughed, picked up some snow and threw it at me.

Well, then it was on. I didn’t need any more encouragement than that. I hadn’t been in a good snowball fight since our kids were little. I started pelting her with snowballs. She tried to hide behind a tree, but I still managed to swing around and nail her with a few more.

I wouldn’t say Lily didn’t hit me with any. There were a few times her lobs found a target. But for the most part, I was able to dodge her change-ups and knuckleballs.

Sometimes I just stood still and let the snowball sail by me on the left or the right. It was like they came at me in slow motion. It was fun, but I decided we better stop before I put one off her head or something.

We got back to cleaning off the driveway. I had already used a lot of the snow on it for my ammunition, which made the shovelling a little easier.

When we finished, Lil started on a snowman, so I helped to put the pieces together. By the time we were done, we had one motley, snow-covered front yard with a snowman.

The rest of the day, when I looked out our window, it reminded me of what the front yard used to look like when the kids were living here.

Here’s the thing: It was amazing to me that, even in my 60’s, I can, in a flash, resort back to when I was teen. That is also how quickly we can get swept up in a sin from the past. We connect with it and simply get swept up in it before we know it. When it comes to snowball fights, go for it. But when it comes to sin, stay far from it so you don’t get swept up in it.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you find you easily get caught up in? Leave your comments below.