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[ the peace of snow ]
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It is a wondrous and aweful sight to watch snow gracefully falling from the sky, blanketing the world in a white, delicate peace. Trees that were leafless and barren are suddenly transformed into vibrant patterns of wood and snow lifting praise to the heavens. Flat and uninteresting fields become unbroken blankets of white, proclaiming the perfection of the Snower. Dirty creeks are purified and surrounded by the angelic whiteness, giving them a feeling of unearthly cleanliness.
Recently, while contemplating on the beauty of a new snowfall, I saw how the scene of a snowfall is a good picture of our earthly life. When we are born we have a pretense of innocence, like that of a field of daisies blowing in a midsummer wind. Passersby look at us with compassion, praising this “innocence” but sympathizing with our inevitable downfall: after all, they say, children are innocent, but, along the way, they mysteriously turn into regular, fallen people. Fed on these and other nonsensical doctrines, we grow up ignorant of our depravity. Ignorant, that is, until autumn comes, and the grass and the flowers die, leaving a muddy, lifeless field. It is readily apparent that our “innocence” was merely a disguise of our true, despicable spirits.
We begin to search, and eventually we hear God's call and find the Answer. It is then that we are snowed upon, receiving an encompassing love that brings peace. But, like the snow, life still has its dangers and discomforts. The chill of the snow can pain us greatly as it cleanses our hearts, preparing for new snows to come and make the world white again. More frightening, however, are the outside predators that melt and trample the snow, baring our dirty insides. Frantically, we seek more snow to make us whole again, and God graciously gives it to us.
But the dirt never really leaves us: the image of cleanliness lasts for a while, protected by the false facade of white, but we soon become conscious of how grimy we really are. The snow falls from the trees and melts from the grass. It is replaced by new snowfalls only to disappear again. This is not to say that we are not being sanctified: on the contrary, God is working in us to cleanse our hearts and make us holy. The reason the snow is continually melting away is that as we become more holy, we also become more aware of the depths of our sin, though we can never fully comprehend it.
Yet, the snow serves as a temporary portrait of our future. In heaven, we will never be plagued by our flesh. Instead, the snows will be unbroken, unblemished, and everlastingly pure. The winter streams will continually cleanse and refresh us. Trees will forever lift up themselves in praise. Rest like no other will be offer by the fields. Before the portrait fades examine and appreciate it, dwelling on the amazing story of grace and love that it tells.
Jason Ewert
January 2002
January 2002
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