Let It Snow!
Only in the state of Ohio can one experience all four seasons in one week! For example, last week began at an unseasonable 70 degrees, but the following day I awoke to a winter wonderland—three inches or more of the white stuff! But not everyone is as excited as I am about snow.
Yesterday, I was at a local restaurant and had a casual encounter with a woman I met at the salad bar. After exchanging greetings the small talk soon turned to the weather,
“I can’t wait for winter to be over with,” she said. “I’m sick of it!”
“Yeah,” I replied, “I can see your point, but I kinda’ like the snow. It’s so pretty.”
Now that may sound odd, but I’m like a little kid when it comes to winter. From late fall through early winter I pay careful attention to local weather forecasts and anticipate the first snowfall. That “winter wonderland” I mentioned earlier was the kind of snowfall that postcards are made of. It was so beautiful that folks were posting pics all over social media. It really blessed at least some of us Ohioans (LOL!).
When thinking about all of this, the Holy Spirit reminded me of God’s promise of forgiveness in Isaiah 1:18: “‘Come now, let’s settle this,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.’”
Two things (no, three) grabbed my attention as I read this passage of Scripture. First, the distinction between the colors red and white—Isaiah uses these two colors to make his point. Second, did you notice the word “white” appears twice? And the third and final point is a special thing to me. Did you notice the word…SNOW? (Remember my response to “salad bar lady”? I’m weird. I like snow).
The color white signifies cleansing and purity, and red signifies the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Put them together and we have a way back to the Father. When I think of these colors, the hymn Nothing but the Blood of Jesus comes to mind. The refrain sums it up beautifully,
Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.*
Love ran red, and red made white. The blood of Jesus covers us and cleanses us white as the snow, making us right with God again. So every time I see snow, it is a precious sight and a reminder of God’s promise to those who trust in the name of Jesus.
And for those of you who, like the salad bar lady, complain of the snow that I find so refreshing, remember, in a just a few short months it will be summer again. We may be experiencing haze, heat and humidity. And you will perhaps be wishing for the snow to return once again. I know I will! So savor the moment, enjoy the beauty and remember what the snow represents.