Snow

  

   WELL IT HAS BEEN A WEEK IN WHICH I HAVE BEEN DREAMING OF CRAWFISH, FISHING AND SITTING OUTSIDE ON THE PORCH.  NOTE THE KEY WORD HERE, “DREAMING.” I LOOK OUSIDE AND its NUTS. IN ONE NIGHT WE GOT BETWEEN 11-12 INCHES OF SNOW. I’VE GOT TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, NOT A SNOW LOVER.

     AS A KID GROWING UP IN ARKANSAS I DREAMED OF BUILDING SNOW FORTS.  LOOKING INTO THE EYE OF THE ENEMY AND DESTROYING THEM WITH A SNOWBALL.   I'M SLEDING DOWN THE SIDE OF A HILL AND CAPTURING THAT FEEL OF FLYING. WHAT A TRIP! UNFORTUNATELY WE JUST DID NOT GET THAT MUCH SNOW IN OUR STATE.

     I GOT MY FIRST REAL FEEL FOR SNOW WHEN WE MOVED TO MICHIGAN ALMOST TWENTY YEARS AGO. I REMEMBER LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW ON THE FIRST BIG SNOW FALL AND IT WAS BEYOND COOL. HANNAH AND HADDY WERE JUST LITTLE THINGS AND WE HAD A BLAST PLAYING IN IT ALL AFTERNOON.  THEN REALITY CREPT IN.

     IT’S SHOVEL TIME. DO I REALLY HAVE TO MAKE A PATH THROUGH THIS MESS? THE ANSWER IS YES!! NOW I HAVE TO GET UP A LITTLE EARLIER EACH MORNING TO SCRAPE THE WINDOWS OF THE CAR.  REMEMBER, MIKE, DON’T SLAM ON THE BRAKES BECOMES A CRY THAT I WILL HEAR OFTEN. (IT IS MY NATURAL TENDENCY TO DO THIS. WHAT CAN I SAY, I LOVE BRAKES.) I KNOW, IT COULD BE THAT I AM BECOMING AN OLD CANTANKEROUS CRITTER. AGING SOMETIMES DOES THIS TO A MAN. WELL, AT LEAST IT SOUNDS GOOD AS AN EXCUSE.

     HEREIN IS THE BEAUTY TO IT ALL. GOD DOES NOT PLAY BY MY RULES. IN MY WORLD IT WOULD ALWAYS BE GREEN WITH THE TEMP IN THE SEVENTIES. WE WOULD ALL LIVE BY STREAMS WHERE WE COULD GO FISHING EVERYDAY. CHICAGO WOULD GO TO THE SUPERBOWL EVERY YEAR AND WIN IT. I COULD EAT ALL THE CRAWFISH WHEN I WANT AND MY HEART WOULD PUMP LIKE A TWENTY YEAR OLD.

     THE REALITY IS THAT MY GOD KNOWS WHAT IS BEST FOR US. HE KNOWS WHAT WE NEED AND HOW HIS NAME WILL BE BEST GLORIFIED. THIS YEAR THE STATE OF NEBRASKA NEEDS SOME MOISTURE FOR ITS CROPS AND GOD SAYS I’LL DO IT THIS WAY. HE WINDS UP TAKING CARE OF US SOMETIMES IN THE MOST UNUSUAL OF WAYS. I LOVE HIM FOR THAT.

     AS I LOOK OUTSIDE MY WINDOW I AM ALSO REMINDED OF ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITE VERSES. ISAIAH 1:18 “COME NOW, LET US REASON TOGETHER, SAYS THE LORD: THOUGH YOUR SINS ARE LIKE SCARLET, THEY SHALL BE AS WHITE AS SNOW; THOUGH THEY BE RED LIKE CRIMSON, THEY SHALL BECOME WOOL.” NO MATTER WHAT I MAY THINK ABOUT SNOW THE BEAUTY OF IT ALL IS SEEING HOW PRETTY IT LOOKS OUTSIDE. HOW EVERYTHING LOOKS SO FRESH AND CLEAN.

     HIS BLOOD HAS WASHED AND CLEANSED ME. HE ALONE, COULD TAKE THE BLACKNESS OF MY HEART AND CLEANSE AND MAKE ME WHOLE. MY SINS THOUGH LIKE SCARLET HAVE BEEN MADE WHITER THAN SNOW.