Driving in Snow

I live where people are afraid of snow. Having grown up in the north, it’s sometimes difficult to understand closing schools before a flake has fallen and clearing the grocery stores of all bread and milk. I have to remember I grew up with snow, they didn’t; I learned how to drive in snow, they didn’t.

And yet, watching people cloistered in their homes for days because there’s snow on the ground, seeing cars drive off the road because they think snow makes no difference, or getting stuck because they crawl along shows me how fear causes people to respond in different ways. It shows me how dangerous fear can be . . . with or without inclement weather.

Fear can make people hide in their homes (or self-created places of safety) instead of engaging with the world outside. It can make people act brave and hit the gas as if they’re invincible. It can also cause some to slow to a crawl where it’s only a matter of time before they get stuck.

The issue is not the weather, or the way life shows up. It’s the fear and the way it controls us that matters. As people of faith, we accept that fact that life comes on clear and snowy days. How we navigate our way through varies, but the key is getting in the car and learning how to drive in all conditions - that, and knowing we’re not making our way alone.