There is absolutely nothing I love more than SNOW. It's always amazed me at how just a simple act if nature can change our world-for a day, for hours.. I've loved it since I was a girl knowing snow would bring sweet days off from school, moms boiled egg sandwiches for lunch in Between outings outside-skating on the lake, building snowmen. I loved waking up knowing there was snow still on the ground by the reflection of brightness coming through my window. When it snows even as a grown woman, I still love all of this. I woke up with the same feelings this morning when I realized there was still lots of snow waiting for us. As I've become older, I appreciate how the snow reminds me of how Gods hand can change things in the matter of seconds. As 2 of my 3 and I did our usual walk through the snowy woods yesterday- I thought of how the frozen water and all of its bright whiteness completely changes the usually dark, dirty woods. How the dusting made the trees look small under its weight. I appreciate how the snow even changes the sounds of my world. In place of loudness of everyday living the snows blanket makes things peaceful and quiet. When it snows I always make the kids stop in their tracks and just listen, listen to the quietness of it. I love how it makes our footsteps seem intentional, deliberate. I love knowing my Father has stored away each and every snowflake and knows just when our world needs to be changed. "Have you ever entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of hail.." Job 38:22 Even though the snow causes havoc, like yesterday, God stores snow up to send down at the perfect time to send cleansing on His earth. Even when it's most inconvenient for us, when it leaves those we love stranded, when it causes us to question why now, when it causes us to not like our fellow drivers., when it causes us to question officials that make mistakes----God had this stored up for us, for this time for the exact hours.
As I say this, I have to ask why would God want to cause such craziness? Why would He allow this? As I was awake last night worrying about a young lady stranded and a friends husband trying to make his way home to his family I had time to think of this. As I was thinking of how important it is for all of us to be prepared with emergency kits in our cars, to have plans for such days as this. It hit me!! Maybe, just maybe God stored this snow up for a specific purpose. And that purpose was to get His peoples attention. Maybe he sent this to not only remind us of his awesomeness-who can't look at this beautiful snow and not be reminded of how awesome our God is. But I think also He is giving us a warning of sorts. What's that warning???? BE PREPARED!! Not necessarily Being prepared for a snow storm, of being stranded on the road or having bread and milk and how we think of being prepared for days like this. But maybe He is warning us to be prepared--prepared for Him. He's reminding us that He has things stored away for each of us, each of us as individuals just as He has stored each snowflake away for a specific time. One day all of us will be surprised by a pure whiteness, pure can't even fathom beauty- not of the froze precip type but of our Savior coming. There won't be a forecaster to predict it, a computer model that will reveal it but a God that knows the exact hour, He's trying to get our attention through circumstances like this-warning us to be prepared.
Is your heart right? Do you desire the "bread" of life ? Remember the feeling yesterday of not having control over our situation as the snow began to fall and we frantically scrambled to get our children, to get to our homes?? You can have that control-you just have to turn to Him-the one that controls it ALL.
Continuing to pray for those stranded and separated from loved ones. Praying we all enjoy Gods beauty as we don't often experience it. Hoping you all see the Holy Spirit in the pureness of the snow. Now off to enjoy this--before it melts away.