This morning I opened an e-mail that had the subject line: “Sheesh, two more feet of snow”. 
Attached was a picture of a snow craving of two feet as large as a car. I looked at the picture and felt the crush of those two cold feet stepping on me. This morning I awoke trampled upon, beaten weary of winter and life. I was ready to lay down make a snow angel, and be fly off. I had it with winter. No sun, cold and slush everywhere, especially in my shoe. Old man winter was really walking all over me and I was tired of it.
The morning Gospel was a familiar one from Matthew 7:7-12. “Ask, and it will be given to you: search, and you will find; knock and the door will be opened. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. Is there a man among you who would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or would hand him a snake when he asked for a fish? If you, then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him! So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the law and the prophets.”
Father, when did I ask for more snow?
The commentators tell me this is not about effective prayer, but about the love that God has for us and learning to trust that love. We have all had that experience of asking for something that we really wanted. We prayed and begged for it and it never came. As children this happened frequently. We asked for ponies, or trips, or going to a great concert but the answer was always, no. Not because our parents did not love us but because they did not think it practical, necessary, or good for us. For the most part we got over it and we still knew our parents still loved us and we could trust them.
We went on with our lives and grew and became more independent and did not ask our parents for everything.
The two giant feet of snow also suggested to me that we stand on own feet. God gives us all that we need. Not all that we want. God gave us the feet to stand on and the ability to walk either towards God or away.
This season of Lent reminds us the love that God has for us. He gave us his Son. God became man to show us God’s love but also that as man we must suffer and have joy (remember the first miracle described by John at the wedding feast of Cana) as Jesus did. Jesus suffered and died for our salvation but also to help us understand that we also must suffer. Just as the Father gave Jesus the strength and love to carry out his mission, God will also give us the strength and love to join Him in heaven. That is our mission, our goal and we do it by following Jesus. With God’s help our feet will carry us home.
So that last line, The Golden Rule (So always treat others as you would like them to treat you) is there to say that this whole selection for this day of Lent means more then what we see. See the whole picture.