by Joanie Butman
This week finally produced a decent snowfall. There’s nothing like a snow day – a glorious gift of free time most of us crave but never allow ourselves. It’s a mystery why we don’t choose to incorporate the relaxed pace of a snow day into our lives regardless of where we live. I view snow days as God’s reminder to stop and notice Him. How could you not amidst the awe, beauty and hush of a good snow storm?
If you’re having trouble grasping the saving grace Christ offers, a fresh snowfall is a great tutorial. I don’t care where you live, a blanket of snow can make the ugliest landscape beautiful. Jesus does the same for us. He offers His robe of righteousness so that we can present ourselves to God without shame. Dealing with all the ugliness His amazing grace covers is a life-long process with Him, but God sees us through His Son’s eyes.
That truth should make us as joyful as a child on a snow day. We aren’t meant to be suffocated by the weight of the snow (or rules/rituals). Quite the opposite; Christ wants us to revel in His love and in His willingness to sacrifice His life on our behalf. There’s a good reason I’ve never grown out of making snow angels.
The hardest part of making a snow angel is letting yourself fall backwards, confident the snow will cushion your fall. It’s scarier as an adult because you have a lot further to fall and you tend to be more brittle in lots of ways. Could the analogy be any more glaring? Allowing ourselves to fall into Jesus’ arms is eerily similar. Yet, He’s never let me down when I choose to surrender. In fact, it’s only then that I can enjoy the freedom of turning over control to the One who should have had it all along – like being a passenger on a sled. Letting Someone else steer is just as scary as falling backwards into a pile of snow. They both take trust and a leap of faith. But what glorious freedom results when it’s Jesus doing the steering and catching.
A snow day brings out the inner child and so does God’s love. We will always be His children. You don’t age out of that role. Making snow angels and sledding may not be age-appropriate anymore but choosing to trust Jesus always results in a joyous ride.
Finally, we in the northeast aren’t the only ones to benefit from a ‘snow day.’ Regardless of the climate where you live, anyone can choose to sit in stillness, allowing the grace of God to blanket your soul. Choose wisely!
