snowball

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This Trend Needs To Change Quickly

Do you ever notice how a trend or popular belief gathers great support? It’s like there is a momentum and the trend or belief becomes bigger and bigger. 

this trend needs to change quickly

In social media they would say something has gone viral. 

I remember getting to the edge of a field with my brother and a friend one winter’s night. The conditions were perfect for making snowballs and we tossed a few at each other. 

Then we each started rolling a snowball in the snow. As we rolled, the snowballs got bigger and bigger. We ended up abandoning two of them and together pushed one snowball. By the time we got to the end of the field, it was over four feet high. 

It was huge; it had snowballed! … That’s what you call it when something gathers steam and becomes bigger than life. 

We have seen these kinds of trends over the last several years. 

One of these trends is an attitude that is very prevalent today. I would say that this attitude has snowballed; it’s gone viral. 

It’s an attitude of, “if you don’t agree with me, I hate you.” 

We often say it in different ways though. Some might call it cancel culture. We might label it as “vaxers” or “antivaxers”. 

It gets expressed as “liberal” or “conservative”. 

Hey, this same attitude can be found in gender talk these days.

The topic may be different, but the attitude is the same: if you don’t agree with me, I hate you. And I believe you hate me.

You have to wonder how we got here, to this attitude. But more surprisingly, how did we get here so fast? 

Well, that’s the thing with a snowball or something viral – it picks up steam really quickly. 

Just look at Covid. It spread really, really quickly. We went from not knowing much about it in November 2019 to full lockdowns around the world by March 2020. 

This attitude of “I hate you if you don’t agree with me” is definitely disturbing. 

But I came across a verse – actually two verses – in the Bible that kind of stopped me. 

I read 1 John 3:16 and the reference reminded me of John 3:16. When I thought about the content of these two verses, they just dovetail together. 

They were both written by the same Apostle John, but they may have been written up to 10 years apart. Then someone else over a thousand years later added the verse numbers to the text. 

It’s remarkable that these two verses share such a connection … and a message that we all need to hear right now. It goes very much against the trending attitude of “if you don’t agree with me, I hate you.”

John 3:16; 1 John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” … “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.”

In these two verses lies an important truth that we should love one another, not hate each other. 

Here’s the thing: A trend is a trend because the masses pick up on them. But a Christian should follow the Bible and not the trends. If you know Christ as your Saviour, be anti-cultural in this. Love those you disagree with and show kindness to them in word and deed.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What attitude have you struggled with lately? Leave your comments and questions below.

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The Conditions Were Right For A Snowball Fight

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.