Doug Creamer: It’s About Weather

Published 12:00 am Saturday, January 27, 2018

Most married couples enjoy good conversations on a day-to-day basis. They talk about the kids, work, church, and life issues. Obviously, some couples communicate better than others, and sadly, some couples don’t communicate at all. Women and men have different interests and that helps to keep conversations alive. However, one partner may have an interest that doesn’t spark excitement in the other.

Take sports, for example. Many men love and follow sports daily. They can quote stats and scores from their childhood through last weekend. The trouble is that often the wife doesn’t have the same interest or enthusiasm. In fact, I believe that many wives hear this when their husband starts down the sports road: wah-wah (favorite sports team) wah-wah (sports star) wah-wah.

My wife has been blessed. My interest in sports is minimal. I follow high school football in the fall and only the biggest games on TV. I enjoy going to live sporting events when the opportunity arises, but other than that my interest in sports is minimal. However, I do have an interest that can be very consuming: weather.

I follow the weather with more passion than most men follow sports. I love reading about the weather, watching fantastic weather videos, seeing the power of Mother Nature at work, listening to the weather, watching weather reports, and naturally, coming up with my own weather forecasts based on what I have read. I love following hurricanes and watching for severe weather, but most of all I love snow.

A snowstorm can be eight to ten days away and I will be following its development. I am looking at tracks, quantity, and precipitation types. The closer we get to a major weather event the more time is consumed studying the reports and forecast models. This is when my wife hears: wah-wah-snow… If the snow is to arrive in the middle of the night, then my wife knows we are in for a sleepless night as I will be up checking to see if it is snowing and watching the radar. I admit it is an obsession.

When the snow arrives, I will be glued to the windows to watch it fall. Then I will get all bundled up and go for a long walk while it is snowing. It is breath-taking and beautiful to watch the landscape become covered in a mantle of white. The air is fresh and it is so peaceful and quiet. The snow muffles sound. My soul experiences joy as my spirit connects with my Father in Heaven in a way I cannot describe.

The Bible describes a peace that goes beyond understanding; that is exactly what I feel when walking around in the snow. The Bible talks about a joy that floods the soul and that’s what I feel when I am out playing or just walking around in the snow. The Bible talks about heaven as being so beautiful we cannot conceive of words to describe it; that is what I feel as I take in the beauty I see after a snowfall.

There are two situations that transport me into the presence of God; walking along the beach on a warm summer day and walking through a snowfall. What I experience while I am there is a peace for my mind, heart, and spirit. I feel enveloped in His perfect love, the kind of love that lets me know that I am accepted as His son. I know that I am washed whiter than snow and forgiven for my past. There is also a joy that comes not just from the situation but because I know that I am in the presence of my Heavenly Father.

I firmly believe that God wants all of us to experience His loving presence. For you it could be sitting near a waterfall or hiking along a mountain peak. It really doesn’t matter what draws you into His presence, its allowing His presence to envelop, touch, and even heal you. God wants to restore a right relationship with you, so you will know Him and His love and acceptance of you.

I want to encourage you to spend some time in God’s presence. He isn’t judging you or angry at you, nor does He want to correct you. God wants to pour out His love upon you. God’s love can and will transform your life. We don’t have to be at church, walking along the beach, or even walking through a snowstorm to experience it. The only thing holding God’s love back is you. Open your heart and let His perfect love wash and make you…whiter than snow.