AS WHITE AS SNOW

This past week I was in upstate New York – it is a beautiful place and I had been up there several times before but never in the winter time. Needless to say I was a little nervous when I found the snowmobile crossing signs along the highway and became even more anxious when I heard the weather report.

The next morning as I was headed back home my fears were realized. From Jamestown to Erie PA I crept along the highway as white-out conditions enveloped me and the few other brave travelers out on the road. The snow deepened quickly and much to the chagrin of those drivers behind me I slowed to a crawl. You see, although I have lived in Ohio for 23 years this Tennessee boy still gets little fearful when he has to drive in a blizzard.

Finally I stopped for a break in order to re-gather my nerves and get some caffeine. It was while sitting in a restaurant that I saw the beauty of the snow and was reminded of a great promise from God. Snow can be messy, and shoveling it does my back no good. I don’t sled anymore, haven’t been in a snowball fight for a while and hadn’t made a snowman in several years. But in the midst of that blizzard and as the sun began to peek out from behind a cloud I saw it – the purity of the glistening snow and I was reminded of what God told his people. In Isaiah God said, “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow…” (1:18). Soon the snow took on a different meaning. I still don’t like to drive in it and shoveling it is no fun but it is a reminder of God’s love and grace and I praise Him not only for its physical beauty but because it helps me see his mercy that is in Christ. In Christ God I am as pure as snow because of his unfailing love. Thank you God for the snow.