A Snow Day- The Deeper Meaning

February 16, 2010

A Snow Day- The Deeper Meaning

Last weekend we had a blizzard here! Ok, so it wasn't a blizzard. But for us here in Atlanta, Georgia it was quite a snow storm as we got 3 inches of snow! I know all of my Virginia friends reading this blog think I am crazy one for being excited about a measly 3 inches and two for being excited about snow at all seeing as they have like 3 feet of snow up there and are probably quite sick of it! But our measly 3 inches were very exciting and a whole lot of fun for us. We enjoyed playing in it twice before it all melted away on Sunday. Friday we went out as it was coming down. Then we only had an inch or so. We played in the backyard and built a small snowman. Then Saturday when the snow had all fallen and we had 3 inches we played again! We built a big snowman in the front yard- the biggest one Jack has ever made. (Note- I didn't think it was all that big, but I guess growing up in the south he'd never made one this big before!). We had a snowball fight and we went sledding on our cookie sheets. That's right, cookie sheets. We don't have sleds. We live in Georgia, people. So the last time it snowed just a dusting, I got out my cookie sheets and we used them to sled in the backyard. This time it worked even better since there was more snow on the ground. It was a blast.

I am not a fan of cold weather. Ask anyone who knows me. I'd gladly live somewhere that is 70 degrees year round (I am not sure there even is such a place). My mom says she'd miss the changing of the seasons, but not me. I hate cold weather. But, I do enjoy a snowfall or two. If it's gonna be cold, then let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! And since this has been one of the coldest winters I've ever experienced in the south, I am glad we finally got some snow. Here's another thing I love about snow- it's beautiful. I mean absolutely breathtaking. It's beautiful as it falls from the sky and silently floats to earth. And it is even more beautiful on the trees and houses.

In our area, we still have a lot of damage because of the flood in September. Homes are still damaged, debris still lines the roads, mud still cakes the sides of houses, parks are still destroyed. But the snow covered all of that up. As we drove around on Friday evening, everything looked beautiful. We drove down Clay Road through a row of houses that flooded over their roofs, but you never would have known it. The snow made all of the damage disappear. I couldn't help but think of Isaiah 1:18 "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow." And about Psalm 51:7 "Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow." These verses took on a whole new meaning as I gazed upon our snow-covered land. The snow made everything look beautiful and clean. Everything looked pure, somehow richer, like a work of art. And I thought about these verses and I thought about Christ. God is so infinite and so wise. To compare the cleansing of our sin to snow- well it's brilliant! The thing is, nothing actually changed inside the flood damaged houses and parks. They didn't do anything to look better or be better, but because they were covered in snow they were beautiful. And that is what happens to us in Christ. We don't do anything to clean ourselves up- we are sinners and there is nothing we can do about it. But because we are covered in the blood of Christ we are cleansed. Underneath all that snow, the damage was still there. And even covered in His blood we are sinners. But His grace covers a multitude of sin, just like snow covers a multitude of yuck, and makes it beautiful. Reminds me of one of my favorite worship songs, Beautiful the Blood by Steve Fee. The snow is beautiful. And even more so His blood. As I looked at the snow covered land, I just had to stop and worship. For the beauty of His creation, for the beauty of the snowfall and mostly for the beauty of His blood that rescued me.

And now pictures.....