We have an ice dam that forms every winter on the north side of our house that gets very little direct sunlight. So, every winter, I dutifully venture forth armed with my broom and extension handle to scrape as much snow off of the roof as I can and knock off the huge icicles. In fact, at a recent estate sale we purchased a roof rake for dirt cheap, no doubt used by someone who had lived a long life and used it once or twice each year.
Every year I am reminded of the Peanuts cartoon by Charles Shults about the efforts of Charlie Brown’s gang to save Snoopy from inevitable doom because of the giant icicle hanging perilously over the roof of his doghouse. In the end he is saved just in the nick of time by Villella’s Take-Out Pizza guy. The irony is unmistakeable.
After just five minutes watching the news I am reminded of how a normal, beautifully average day can suddenly change the course of a life, a family, a community. At times for the better. At other times…well, we’ve all watched enough news to know how a 30 second earthquake can wipe out more than a quarter of a million people. Just like that.
In Luke 13:1-5 Jesus taps into two current human interest stories at the time to make a point: it is not up to us to decide where God’s hand may or may not be moving in human events. What is important is to always be prepared for whatever may come, knowing that life is always paired with paradox. Impressed by instances of tenacity, strength and courage we are, at other times, reminded how fragile, transient and maleable a life can be due to life-altering circumstances and events. In an age of incredible speeds and the reality of sudden traumatic injury and death, the wisdom of being prepared makes even more sense than ever before.
Which brings me back to the Peanuts’ cartoon. It begins with Snoopy looking around to see the beauty that surrounds him, thinking all is well…until he looks up….. Had the icicle snapped and fallen on top of Snoopy’s doghouse I suppose that this would have marked the end of Snoopy as a character in the Peanuts series. Instead, what we have is Snoopy locked up in agonizing, existentialistic despair that keeps him from acting to solve his problem…that is, until Charlie Brown shows up with his favorite food: Pizza. Snoopy momentarily forgets his predicament, rushing out of the doghouse to devour his favorite food just in time to watch his abode shattered into splinters by the icicle.
This simple story has such great metaphorical avenues that can be taken to illustrate some of life’s lessons. Today, however, after spending time contemplating the sudden passing of friends seemingly removed from this life too early and at random, I am reminded of a principle once again.
When the opportunity comes to act upon life’s alternatives, go for the pizza!