Growing up in Maryland, I have seen numerous amounts of snow, sometimes over my head. During my senior year in high school, 1994, we experienced the worst blizzard in a long time. According to the news, it was the worst blizzard in history. The best part about this year was the vast amount of snow days; we missed about two weeks of school and we didn’t have to make it up. Of course, the following year the students were not so lucky.
Snow is bitterly cold, moist, soft, and has the ability to form into a hard substance. Numerous snowball fights, tall snowmen and igloos are displayed through most of the area. Blazing snowmobile rides, sled rides, and chasing my brother are some wonderful memories that I cherish from those cold winter days. The world seemed to be at peace but it was so bitterly cold. Sadly, it seems this is the description of a person’s heart without Christ, it’s bitterly cold. Oh, everything looks wonderful on the surface with a wonderful home, children are playing and there’s hot chocolate to warm the body. However, the soul aches for the truth of what is real love. It’s bitterly cold inside the heart, only love can make it warm. Sin has the ability to make life seem fun, harmless and satisfying. But beneath the enormous amounts of snow, a bear trap awaits to rip your limbs. It will hold you, rip you open and leave you to die. Satan does not tell you the effects of sin but he makes it pleasing to the eyes. He longs to trap your steps, cause a dysfunction in your life and drag you away to Hell. His desires haven’t changed, his traps await us. We have to be careful where we are treading-only through the light can we see where to walk.
During my years in college, I walked the same concrete path to get to my classes. Just like Maryland, Missouri had bitter, cold, and soft treading snow but the main difference is it was freezing rain. It is beyond dangerous to try to walk on it, only salt can break its fear. Gently, cautiously, and slowly you have to walk across the path to get to your destination. It’s a wonderful sigh of relief to get inside the building to escape it. Until the hour later, you have to face the dangerous path all over again.
During one week of the winter semester, I got a new perspective of the snow. On this day, it wasn’t snowing but it was very cold and windy. The ugly brown grass was the proof of winter’s major effect on nature. As the wind blew coldly across the open field, many objects of garbage and leaves danced around on the ground. Finally, as the wind settled, I just took a vivid picture in my mind of the grounds’ state. The next morning, classes were cancelled due to sixteen inches of snow. I was almost beside myself. I went to high school with snow up to my waist.
It was a beautiful sight to see that childhood joy in many of the foreign students, who had never seen snow. Many of my precious memories of home would come back to me. It was still a wondrous sight to witness. As I walked across the campus, the Lord gently spoke to my heart, “Tina, do you remember the state of the field yesterday with all of the garbage and leaves?” I responded, “Yes, Lord I do.” The Lord replied, “My daughter, look at the field today, “What do you see?” I responded, “Lord, I only see the beautiful white snow.” The Lord rebuked me with love, “Why do you doubt my forgiveness?” Why can’t you see the beauty of what I see-a beautiful white heart?”
Isaiah 1:18, says “Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; thought they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”
As you have guessed, I have never looked at snow the same way. Yes, snow is and will always be bitter y cold and can be molded. I choose for my heart to be soft as snow before God. I do not want my heart to mold into a hard substance but a joyful softness, just like making a snow angel. I am grateful that my heart can be molded into many things and I desire it to avoid it being hardened. I am grateful to be in the hands of Jesus. I commit my heart, my life and my call to be white as snow. I choose the Lord over the entire world. He is the only One who molded my heart softly making something beautiful to use. Yes, life can make you bitter, hard or cold – I know it is a time of a new perspective through the field of snow. Jesus can make our lives as beautiful as snow.
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