Piles

I look all around me and see piles.
The piles are not in my house.
The piles are outside.

Piles taller than my 5’10 frame.
Piles of snow.
Piles left by the snowplow; piles that are sure to be here until Easter time.

The last report I read said that our area has had 56″ of total snow accumulation.
This has been an incredibly snowy winter.
This has been an incredibly icy winter.

And now we have piles.
The piles at the end of our driveway are taller than me.
The piles in all of the parking lots seem unlikely to ever melt.

Yet, melt they will.
Over time, if conditions are right.

Piles of snow are not pretty.
They are peppered with rock salt.
They are black at the base from the spray of passing cars.

The driveway piles beg to be climbed on since they are frozen solid.
They are a perfect launching pad for sleds.
They would make a wonderful igloo if you could somehow chip away at the center.

I am so grateful to the plowmen who clear a path for us.
Heavy, wet snow is impossible to shovel.
The plow truck with its large shovel in front clears the way easily.

The problem with piles is that after a while, there is nowhere to put them.
After a while you keep piling more snow on top of what is already there.
After a while, the pile looms above your head, appearing to take over.

When my oldest daughter was a toddler, she loved piles.
She had piles in her bed that she kept off to one side.
She set them up every night and took them down in the morning.

She had her stuffed animals lined up in a certain way against the wall.
She had her pile of books next to her and would look at them in the morning.
She had a box filled with her treasures.

We laughed because at three years old, only a portion of the bed was for her.
The rest of the bed was simply a place to put her piles.
Her piles were comforting to her.

She liked having her special things around her.
She would wake up leisurely and play in her bed for at least another half hour.
With a bit of wistfulness, we said goodbye to the piles to make way for the growing girl.

Sometimes piles are not so lovely.
Sometimes piles are an accumulation of the stuff we want to toss aside.
We think that if we pile them up over here, they will be out of sight, out of mind.

Except they are not out of sight.
Like the proverbial rug that problems are swept under, the piles keep growing.
They loom over us for lengthy periods of time and we try to wish them away.

We try to hide behind our piles.
We blame the piles for our inability to see clearly.
We pile more things on top of the existing mound, proud that we cleaned up nicely.

We pile regrets, unforgiving attitudes, jealousy, and anger into a heap.
After a while, we find ourselves detesting the pile we see in front of us.
The worst of us piled up, covered with the debris of the road.

Life’s road.
Littered with debris; unresolved, growing by the minute.
Piles that are taking over our lives.

We can climb on top of our pile and claim victory.
We can raise our hands in the air in celebration.
We can fool ourselves into thinking we have mastered the debris because it is contained.

It is a slippery slope.
It is a melting foundation.
It gives the illusion of victory when in reality what we are standing on is ready to crumble.

We try to pile more unwanted debris on an already unsightly mess.
We hoist it high above our heads only to see it tumble down the sides.
We have been found out!

Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, who sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord” and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place: You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. (Psalm 32:1-7)

Forgiveness is the only de-icer.
Forgiveness is the surest way to melt those piles.
Forgiveness is the only way to stand again on a sure foundation.

Let the light of the SON melt your piles.
Let the Living Water flow when what is frozen softens and bitterness melts away.
De-Ice with heartfelt confession turning towards the Son and soon the piles will be gone.

 

2 responses to “Piles”

1. so true! and sometimes the piles are so well hidden under other emotions (such as in my case anger hidden under anxiety) that we don’t even know how big the piles are. God, using Christian counselors, helped me to recognize and get rid of my piles. Praise Him!

   Reply

   • Sue,
     We all have piles. We think we are doing such a good job of shoveling things out of sight. Praise God that He can completely melt the piles with His amazing grace.
     Gina

     Reply