The weather that greeted us as March made an entrance had several people remembering the saying “in like a lion and out like a lamb.” Those not happy about the amount of snow we got could not argue with two points, one that we needed the moisture, the other; what we had to put up with was nothing at all compared to the folks back east and in the southern states. It is almost as if the country has reversed its climate with cold where the warm should be and the other way around. I heard the other day that there were only two states that were not getting snow — Washington and Oregon. I don’t know if that was true or not but from the map on the weather channel it looked like it was. The question that comes to mind is what does this mean for us when all this snow is gone and the thaw begins? To my way of thinking people better start planning ahead for flooding and make allowances for price increases on food grown in the states that were hit with temperatures they normally don’t have to deal with. The affects of these storms on the country are just beginning because what happens after they pass is going to be a trial in itself.

We are given trials on a daily basis, and it can be hard at times to deal with them in a positive way, but we can’t let them become more important than they need to be. Worrying over what might happen or “what ifs” does no good and uses up a lot of energy in a negative way. It is important not to judge how others deal with their problems, we don’t know everything they are going through or how their mind works as they cope with their trials. We need to try and be supportive and not be offended if our outreach is rejected, at those times it isn’t about ourselves and how good or generous we are. It is about a genuine act of kindness with no thoughts of personal reward. Criticism and gossip seems to be rampant now days and along with it comes a negative atmosphere that carries those around it down a path that can become destructive verbally. If we are to truly live a Christian life we need to avoid the gossip, hurtful rumors, judgment of others and self-glorification. When we do things for what we gain out of them and how glorious we will appear to others then we are not doing them with the right mind set or from the genuine goodness of our hearts.

President John F. Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” I think it might be time once again to think about what we can do for others to better their lives and in doing so better ourselves.