Last week, I was ready for snow! I was ready for our three-year snow drought to end! I did everything I could to prepare for my winter weekend. I went to the store three times (I didn’t need to go that many times). I put gas in my car. I got extra water. I covered my windshield with a special sheet to protect it from ice buildup. I was ready.

The office was abuzz with excitement about snow (probably mostly Family Ministry), and I learned that there were three things I could do to help encourage snowfall. The first is to wear your pajamas inside out. The second one is to put ice under your pillow. The third is to flush ice down the toilet.

So, I feel really bad. I forgot to do all three. I thought for sure that I would remember the pajama one.

As we know, we got a little snow, mostly freezing rain, but officially, the snow drought did end. According to WCCB Charlotte, Charlotte Douglas International Airport measured 0.1″ of snow which is apparently enough to declare the snow drought over. That is a scant amount. Maybe it is for the best. I do need to be sensitive to the fact that there are several reasons why we would not want a big snow, and there are lots of folks who wouldn’t want it either. However, if all could be safe and warm during a winter snowstorm, snow would be glorious.

For me, 0.1” isn’t a real snow. A real snow is 4-12 inches that covers the grass, the roads, rooftops, and everything else. It is quiet. It’s peaceful. No one goes out. You can’t hear any cars, planes, or even the birds. It becomes a snow day, a day that is gifted by the grace of God, in which you stay home, and nobody works. You just appreciate the beauty and magic of snow.

Snow in North Carolina plays with my emotions. It’s a roller coaster.

As I have been sitting with my disappointment, it reminds me of the gospel text about the ten bridesmaids waiting for the bridegroom. Five were wise and had enough oil in their lamps because they brought extra; the other five were “foolish” because they didn’t bring enough. It may have been fine for all ten if the bridegroom had not been delayed, but he was greatly delayed. He was so late that the bridesmaids fell asleep and the five who had not brought extra ran out. Those five ran to the market to buy more oil, but while they were gone, the bridegroom came. They missed him. The parable ends with:

“Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

At first glance, you might wonder what snowless mornings and unprepared bridesmaids have in common, but I think there is something here.

This parable teaches us about readiness and unmet expectations. The ten bridesmaids expected the bridegroom to come at a certain time, much like I expected snow to fall overnight. But when things didn’t unfold as planned, the unprepared found themselves scrambling, while the wise stayed ready.

That’s life. It’s full of moments when things don’t go as we hoped or planned. Sometimes, it’s as trivial as missing snow. Other times, it’s a much heavier blow—a hope that never comes to be, a relationship that doesn’t flourish, or a prayer that seems unanswered. The question isn’t whether disappointment will happen, but how we prepare our hearts to respond when it does.

The wise bridesmaids teach us something crucial—that readiness is about living in a way that stays steady no matter what happens. They brought extra oil with them because they knew delays were possible. They didn’t rely on the timing they hoped for; they prepared for the timing they couldn’t predict.

This parable is about the second coming of Christ. We are still waiting. We may ask ourselves how we are continuing to wait. Advent is over. So is Christmas. We still have work to do in our preparedness. Christ calls us to a state of constant readiness—for his return and also for whatever comes in the everyday. We may not always get the snow we hope for, or realize dreams we have, but we can keep our hearts steady by trusting in God’s timing and promises.

So, on this snowless day, I’m reminded to check my own lamp. Am I keeping it filled with prayer, faith, and trust? Am I ready to embrace God’s plans, even when they don’t match my expectations? As for snow, I will have some hopefulness that it might be in the forecast again, and I will appreciate the sunshine in the meantime.