I was awakened on Sat morning by the telephone ringing...it was my brother asking if he could wake the kids...it was snowing. Being groggy with sleep (and knowing that snow in Mississippi usually is a few flurries that never stick) I said no it wasn't worth it. But Ed immediately rolled over and checked the window and said "Oh yeah I'm getting up". I reluctantly nudged aside the curtain and then sat up in a hurry....it was REALLY SNOWING! I have never seen that much snow in Mississippi in my life. The rooftops were covered, the cars were covered, the yard had a couple of inches and the snowflakes were falling thick and fast.
We woke the kids and they pulled on shoes, and sweaters over their p.j.s, and ran outside. We were afraid it would quit any minute, but the snowflakes were really coming down hard. It didn't take long and everyone was back inside for warmer clothes. I layered them up as best I could with what I could find (this is Mississippi after all) and then they all went back out. Warm and mismatched.
They were so excited, they were squealing and shouting as they scooped snow off the cars and began to throw it at each other. It didn't take them long to realize that snow is cold and wet and slippery and after several slips on the sidewalk they ,one by one, retired to the porch to watch. I was surprised to see that the snow continued to come down pretty thickly for awhile and then again at different times all day. The kids kept exclaiming how they were so glad they FINALLY got to see snow, and how it was "the first time in their whole life to make a snowball". =) It was fun to see them so excited.
Being so cold I didn't stay outside for very long and neither did the kids...except for Aaron. He was outside as much as he could stand it all day. He was trying to make a snowman.
Later that evening, we were talking about how much fun it had been getting to see and play in the snow when I suddenly remembered a conversation I had had with Aaron back before Christmas.
He came to me one day and said "You know what, Mama, I'm praying that God will give us snow this Christmas cause I want to make a snowman. I've never made a snowman before." I sat there for a few minutes trying to think of the best way to answer him. His faith is so real and so simple ( and so convicting to me) and I don't want to discourage that in anyway, but I did want to try to explain that we don't always get the answers to our prayers that we expect. So I launched into this whole "sermon" on how God doesn't always answer our prayers they way we want Him to, etc. And then went on to explain that it didn't snow in Mississippi because the conditions here were just too warm....blah blah blah.
Anyway, needless to say, when that conversation flashed into my mind, I was blown away that my 7 year old had the faith to pray and have his prayers answered and ashamed that I had tried to talk him out of it.
I called him over to me and asked him about it and he confirmed that he had prayed for it and God had answered his prayers. Then I apologized for sort of laughing it off. He just hugged me and in childlike simplicity said "that's OK Mama, I'm so glad we got have some snow and play in it and I made half a snow man...just the bottom part."
Can I learn to have faith like that?
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