snow

It snowed last night. This isn't amazing if you live in one of the northern states, but down here it's cause for schools to shut down, roads to close, and everyone makes a run on the grocery store like a hurricane is coming. You see, we just aren't used to snow this far south!

I admit it; last night I was like a little kid. I sat at the window and watched for the snow to finally come. I'd hear reports of others nearby getting snow and wondered why we weren't seeing the fluffy white stuff here. Then finally, at around 10:30 or 11:00, it started to snow. This was wondrous, like no snow I think I'd ever seen before! The flakes were huge and fluffy and falling so slowly to the already wet ground. It took a long time for it to stick; the ground was already so soaked from rain. But it was beautiful. I thought about my morning run and how totally unique it would be. Snow....

This morning I slept late (so much for a morning run) and awoke to snow still on the ground. It is still beautiful, but now it's starting to melt. What had seemed so wonderful last night now just seemed messy. I'm not sure why melting snow seems so much wetter than rain, but it does. Perhaps I'm getting old, but the idea of playing in slush just didn't seem very tempting to me in the clear light of day.
What had been covered last night was beginning to be revealed. Instead of white blankets, I'm starting to see crab-grass peaking out. Instead of waves of pristine purity, I can see the mud. Instead of snow covered roof tops, I'm greeted by the icy drip, drip, drip of melting snow. Hmmmm, there's a random thought in there somewhere.

As long as what was underneath was covered, it all looked pretty good. Sort of like people with the masks they wear. They seem like they have it all together - life is perfect. Underneath is a different story. Everyone has their own crab-grass, mud puddles, and annoying drips in their life. We may be able to cover them up for a short while, but they are still there. The snow doesn't seem quite as special when you see what is peeping out from underneath. What is needed isn't a cover-up, but a working from within.

Lord, help me to allow You to deal with the parts of my life that are not perfect....that are annoying or even downright ugly at times. I want to enjoy the pure snows that come knowing that they aren't covering up, but simply adding to the beauty that already exists. I want to scoop up pure white snowballs of joy without having to avoid the sticks and twigs and bits of mud that try to mar the picture. I want the beauty of Your love to shine through. I want to fully enjoy the snow.
 
Psalms 51:7 "Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow."