Let it Snow!

I love the snow! Don’t hate on me for that. I grew up in Nebraska and Colorado. This past week for me has been a fun reminder of my childhood. We would build forts, have snowball fights and play king of the hill on the piles of snow that the snow plows pushed to the side.

Unlike Memphis, life had to go on. That’s not a knock on the South. We don’t get much snow here, so we aren’t equipped to deal with it on a regular basis. Where I grew up, if you didn’t learn to live in it, life would stop every October to March!

What I’ve loved about the snow this time, is it was enough to cover everything. All the ugly of winter is gone. I’ve always said, if it’s going to be cold, there might as well be snow on the ground! Not rainy and cold. Not muddy and lifeless. Snowy and beautiful. It makes everything seem to come alive. (cue Greatest Showman!)

The one who hates the snow with everything inside her is my dog. I’m pretty sure she has stopped eating and drinking so she doesn’t have to go outside. Even this morning, Amond got her out of the kennel and she went straight for her bed. She would barely look at me. She knew what was coming!

My kids think that it’s so much fun taking her outside. Her fur is white, so she blends in. She is also very small and all this snow is almost as deep as she is tall. Their favorite part is the yellow snow. I know, gross. I’m sure you’ve heard it before: don’t eat the yellow snow!

What our dog leaves behind does not look good with the beautiful snow. Amond was thankful when the second snowfall came and covered everything up again. All of our footprints, snow angels, and even what was left behind from our dog! Here’s the crazy part though. It’s still there. It hasn’t gone anywhere.

Once the snow melts away, all of the mess is still there. If we aren’t careful, this is how we live our lives. We put a nice fluffy layer of snow over everything! We try our best to cover our tracks and hide our ugliness inside.

Yes, God certainly forgives. In fact He says, “though your sin be like scarlet, I will make it white like snow!” For that to happen, we have to uncover what’s lying below. We have to admit our struggle and our weakness.

Here’s what I know: “Your sin will find you out.” At some point in your life, the snow will melt and everything will be exposed. I have seen so many pastors and leaders “fall” in this season. Covid may have brought out the best or the worst in humanity. It has been exposing to say the least.

At the end of the day, when the layers are pulled back, I want those closest to me to still think the best of me. I want to be tried and come out more beautiful than ever. I want to deal with what’s hiding now, rather than wait for it to drag me down later. My character will always be more important to me than my platform.

I hope you can echo the words of David in Psalm 51. He had blown it big time and tried to cover it up. Thankfully, he had a good friend in Nathan the prophet who was willing to call him out. David repented with these words, “Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.” His number one concern was his position before God, not his position before man.

When the snow melts away in our life, let’s be found worthy of the calling God has placed on our lives!