Y’all go ahead with your playing in the snow pictures. MY snow days look more like this! INDOORSY: warm blankets, fuzzy socks, unlimited coffee, lots of Netflix, some reading and writing and napping.
I love seeing all the snowmen, the sledding, the snow angels; I just don’t like to be cold!
I love seeing the newly fallen snow glistening on the ground and in the trees first thing in the morning; I just don’t want to be out in it!
And, I especially love hearing those magical words, “no school” and “waiver days”!
I’m convinced days like this are nothing short of gifts from God. If these had been scheduled days off, I would have had plans. Plans to get work done. Plans to do chores around the house. Plans for those to-do tasks. I like to keep a full calendar. If I have any free time, I am prone to ask, “What should I do?” or “What needs to be done?” Then I make plans to do that, whatever ‘that’ is!
I tend to feel guilty if I take much time to rest if something needs to be done. And, let’s face it, there is always something that needs to be done! I like to be busy and feel productive. You know, “Idle hands are the devil’s playground.” Right?
In the teaching world, there is always something that needs to be done. Plans, grading, assessments, etc. The craziness of this year is even more, just “a lot.” There are a lot of extra duties, a lot of planning for different structures, a lot of attendance management issues, a lot of expectations. And, a lot of emotional struggles from everyone (students, parents, and teachers) to try to manage.
One thing, though, that there is not a lot of is time. Not only time to plan, instruct, and assess, but time to decompress. Time to recharge. Time to just be. Time to rest bodies, minds, and souls.
A day off here and there is nice, but multiple, unscheduled days off forces the relaxation so many of us desire. No plans to complete. No papers to be graded. No activities to attend. Just time. God gave me just what I needed during these past few days. Rest. Special moments with family and friends. Quiet time to read and write. No rushing around. No schedules. No alarms.
Isn’t it amazing that He knows just what we need when we need it? And, He so graciously gives it.
When we are able to trust that God is giving us what we need when we need it, we are able to appreciate His goodness through these gifts. Maybe your gift was not napping and Netflix, but time to play in the snow with your family, maybe it was an unexpected blessing through a change in schedules. Maybe it was starting the day in the beauty of the snow or extra snuggles with your loved ones. Maybe it was something entirely different. That’s how God works. What you needed might not have been what I needed. Or maybe it was.
But now, as the snow starts to melt, and we are thrown back into the busyness of life, I hope you are able to continue to experience the evidence of His goodness every day. Hopefully, it won’t be in the way of more snow days, but in the warmth of the sunshine or the beauty as spring emerges. Maybe it will be in the returning of some type of normalcy as we plan end of the school year activities. (Fingers crossed.)
Even though we are still living through a pandemic, lots of stress, and hatred in our world, proof of God’s love is still out there for us! Let’s open our eyes to see all that He freely gives us and trust that it’s exactly what we need when we need it.
“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”- Philippians 4:19-20