Lessons in the Snow

You can sure learn a lot from snow.
Snow teaches great lessons like:
How to survive the front lines of the battlefield known as the grocery store at T minus 12 hours till storm time.
Why it is important to pick up dog poop before sledding down your backyard.
That waterproof pants are worth the investment.
That central heat and warm showers are vital to having a happy mommy in the house.
And that for some reason being snowed in results in cooking like you are expecting an army to drop by your house at any minute.
Snow can also teach much deeper spiritual lessons:
It can remind us that Jesus came to wash our sinful hearts and make them white as snow.
The value of slowing down and just being still (and warm!)
That our beautiful Creator delights in creating beautiful things for His children.
And that not all frozen precipitation is created equal.
Our latest winter storm reminded me of our first winter in NC –
Born and raised in Florida, I had very little experience with frozen precipitation when we moved to NC in 2002. When the first “flakes” began falling that December, I was ecstatic! I ran outside to fully take in the scene. My grandmother happened to call at that moment. I joyfully shared the glorious news with her and mentioned that I was surprised to learn that snow bounced.
My grandmother, born and raised in KY, said in her sweet mild mannered way, “Sugar, snow doesn’t bounce. You all be careful up there, cause that’s ice fallin.”
Wait – Snow is pretty much just fluffy ice right?
Um…no. Not. At. All.
About six hours after talking to my Grandmother we lost power. The sleet had quickly turned to freezing rain. And the weight of all that frozen rain took down trees which took down power lines which took out power, like a game of frozen dominos.
The ice was beautiful to look at, but it was also very dangerous. In fact, it proved deadly that year as fatal accidents and severe cold cost several people their lives.
I had foolishly thought that all frozen precipitation was created equal. I was so desperate for a real winter storm, that I wholeheartedly supported anything frozen falling from the sky. I ignored the warning signs that things were going to go real bad, real quick. Granted mine was good ol’ Florida girl snow ignorance, but yet the lesson is still there.
Just because something looks pretty, just because it is different and exciting to watch, doesn’t mean it is safe. Freezing rain clings to everything it touches. It seems harmless at first, but as more and more frozen rain accumulates, the weight intensifies. Trees bow and snap under the weight. Power lines droop and give way. Pipes burst. Engines fail.
It looks beautiful, but it’s disastrous.
It makes me realize that there is so much freezing rain all around us. Not actual freezing rain, but things that look enticing which are actually quite devastating.
Things that promise us great beauty and fun, but leave us weighted down with guilt and despair. People who claim to love us, but leave us alone and broken. Leaders who make promises they never intend to keep. People who pretend to be one thing, but whose actions reveal who they really are.
We need godly wisdom and discernment to see the difference between the true and the false. Or as my daughter would say, we need to tell the difference between the real deal and the sloppy copy!
Of course, this ice/snow metaphor has some serious holes since fluffy snow can wreak just as much havoc as ice. But since we never see that much snow here in NC just go with me!
This blog is all about seeing God in our everyday lives. But it is also vitally important to ask God to open our eyes to SEE the truth around us.
Where are we ignoring warning signs?
Are we so desperate for change that we compromise godly principles?
Are we so eager for something new that we embrace lies that look like truth?
The only way to know the difference between truth and lies is to know, truly know, God’s Word. His Word is the authority. His Word will protect. His Word will give answers. His Word will help us SEE truth.
What if we would run to God’s Word like we would run to a weather app when a storm is approaching? What if we would cling to Truth like we cling to central heat during an ice storm? What if we would ask God to help us see the truth about what was coming at us each day?
What if…..
Much love,
Jen