I just got back home after a walk around the block in the freezing rain. This is the one following the 82-degree day. (I bet you remember that.) While most normal, well-adjusted people are feeling teased and disgusted today and would not choose to take a walk in the 16-degree wind-chill, I found great significance along that stroll. I took in the sound of the pellets hitting the trees, rooftops, and the hood of my coat. I even cherished the bitter cold on my cheeks when the wind blew the wintry mix right on my face. No doubt, snow would be more my fancy…but I’ll take what I can get here in central Mississippi.
No, I don’t have a fever. Let me explain.
Growing up northwest of Atlanta, we got a little more snow than we do here, and I always loved it. But, a whole new world of snow-appreciation opened up to me when I moved to Cleveland, Ohio in 1998, with my husband and baby. Our first January there, it snowed 22 days in a row! I videotaped the pile-up in the front yard everyday, with absolute amazement. One particular day, as I stared out at the beautiful white blanket, my neighbor said “and Jesus washes our sin whiter than snow.” WOW! I got it. Like never before. And I haven’t forgotten.
I was wide-eyed at the beauty of it; while at the same time, I was wide-eyed at God’s faithfulness to us as we began to build our family 700 miles from “home.” I learned a lot during those four years— what a mud room is, what a white-out is, that shoveling snow makes you sweat, and that really good snow boots are essential— while God provided one need after another: a church, a group of godly friends, a job for me to help bring home the bacon while Michael worked as a post-doc…and so many other evidences of His presence with us.
So, the sights and sounds of snow (and anything resembling it) resonate deeply for me, bringing powerful reminders of the steady, sovereign presence of God. I think about the beauty He has made from the ashes of my life as I hear those clicks of freezing rain and feel their sting on my face. I picture those gorgeous weighted-down Ohio evergreens, almost breaking from the heaviness of the snow. And I remember the sacrifice my Savior made, weighted down by my sin, so that He could give me new life.
What are your reminders? What’s your go-to story of God’s faithfulness in your life… pictures of strength and fortitude? It is good for you to “consider what great things He has done for you” (1 Samuel 12:24). Store up those fond memories, don’t pack them too far away; so that you can bring them to mind and know the Lord is faithful, for “He is your praise, and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things which your eyes have seen” (Deut 10:21).
And, if it’s been a while since your eyes saw some great and awesome things in your life, take heart, for “the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your soul in drought. You will be like a watered garden, like a stream of water, whose waters do not fail” (Isaiah 58:11). As you wait, keep an eye out—searching diligently—for anything remotely resembling a reminder of His presence. When you find it, be wide-eyed! Treasure it…let it rain down on you and hit you in the face. He is with you! He loves you! He is for you!
Happy Easter, St. Mark’s. May the Lord keep the beauty and glory of Easter resonating deep within us…a continual celebration.
Jo is a Licensed Professional Counselor at St. Mark’s. You can reach her by phone (601- 259-1749) or email (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)).
