Snow

​Psalm 51:7 “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”
 
I enjoy sitting inside on a cold winter day: sipping hot chocolate, reading a good book, and watching snow lazily float to the ground.
 
Unfortunately, what I enjoy doing only happens sometimes. Life is too busy. Though I might get snowed in, my computer and correspondence never stop. And so, I miss life’s simple pleasures, and another opportunity to reflect on God’s gracious ways slips by.
 
Instead of being a time of joy, snow becomes a drudge. Instead of reflecting on the wonder and mystery of the tiny crystals, I reflect on how my to-do list will be changed. Instead of pausing to consider the spiritual elements of snow-covered landscapes, I wonder how I can fit in snow removal.
 
This is how life often is. God presents us with an opportunity to slow down and reflect on his ways. In response, we work harder being focused on our busy schedules and seek to remove that which he sent to drag us back to him.
 
Instead of hunkering down, stifling groans when we think about the atrociously fluffy whiteness, maybe we should pause and allow the falling snow to draw our eyes upward.
 
While we might not like this symbol of winter and childhood innocence, God paints a vivid picture of his salvation every time he sends a snowstorm.
 
Winter starts brown and dirty. Death is everywhere, from trees, to grass, to flowers, to the raspberry bushes my brother gave me. Then, one morning, the ground shimmers as the sun peeks over the horizon. Death is covered. The brown turned white under clean, fluffy snow.
 
Yes, that snow will melt one day, revealing the deathly brown underneath. But, as the snow melts, necessary nutrients brought by that snow seep into the ground, providing new life.
 
That is what God does for us. Like freshly introduced winter, we are dead in our sin, destined to rot. But we have hope. Because of Jesus’ death on the cross, all who believe in Jesus and his death have their sins covered, like snow covers the ground. And from that covering comes new life.
 
That is worth remembering. 
 
So, next time snow comes, grab a cup of hot chocolate and instead of grumbling, let us reflect on God’s amazing grace.