Doug Creamer: Snowy fun

Published 12:00 am Saturday, January 14, 2017

Did you get some snow at your house? The answer to that depends highly on where you live. At my house we got about six inches of snow. If you drive forty miles south of me you received little if any snow. Yet if you drive forty miles north you received close to a foot of snow. One of the weather forecasters from Charlotte pointed out that within one county there was one inch of snow in the south and eight in the north.

I think the real story is how long the snow stuck around. Typically around here it snows one day and a couple days later it is all gone. I think that is one of the best things about living around here; we get to enjoy watching the snow fall, play in it for a day or two, and then it’s gone.

I didn’t make a snowman this time. I also didn’t go sledding. I did get out for a few nice walks. I like to walk out and check the main roads and see how people are getting around. One of the things I noticed is that everybody who drove by waved. Snow gives you the feeling that we are all in this together.

One thing that happens when it snows is that neighbors are outside. I met a few neighbors who wave when we pass, but we’ve never spoken to each other. We all have a tendency to keep to ourselves, but when snow or maybe severe storms roll through we get the chance to meet and say hello. I’m lucky to live in a good neighborhood with good people who look out for each other.

Today as I look out my window, the sun is shining brightly on the snow. The light reflects brightly, in fact, I have to wear sunglasses when I go for a walk. I don’t know if you have noticed before, but the snow actually twinkles various colors as it refracts the sunlight, similar to a rainbow in the sky. It is beautiful and it can help us quiet ourselves so we can spend some extra time with the Lord.

Another thing we should think about as we look out at the snow is how pure and clean it makes the landscape. We know that snow helps to clean the atmosphere. Hidden within the snow is the dust and dirt it cleans away. In much the same way, the Bible teaches us that the blood of Christ makes us whiter than snow. Our sin is like the dirt in the atmosphere that separates us from God, but the blood of Jesus washes us clean and makes us reflect the glory of God. We are cleaner, whiter, and brighter than snow.

With this comes the knowledge of our forgiveness. No matter what you have done, the blood of Christ can make you whiter than snow. You can be forgiven and God can even take away the guilt of your sin. He can make you free. He can make you bright and clean. Knowing, living, and walking in God’s love and forgiveness can change our lives forever.

The important thing is that God wants us to share this with our neighbors. There are so many people in this world who are weighed down with sin and the guilt of their failures. God doesn’t want them to live that way. God wants them to know that if they would simply ask, they could be made as white as snow. They could walk free from their past. All their mistakes wiped way by the blood of Jesus. Then they can know the deep love of God.

Snow is God’s reminder that we need to share this great news with our neighbors. Our neighbors could be the people who live around us, our co-workers, the people we know at the businesses we frequent, or even the people we meet while waiting in line at the store. We have a saying in our church: Mission is everywhere. People need to hear the good news of God’s love.

I want to encourage you first to open your heart to God’s perfect love and allow it to cleanse you from anything that would hold you back from Him. Then I want to encourage you to share that love and forgiveness with the people in your life. God wants a relationship with every human being. We can be the conduit through which they can discover how to connect with God. It’s our mission, it’s our purpose. You are whiter than snow; reflect God’s glory so that the lost can find their way home.

Doug Creamer’s books include ‘Encouraging Thoughts.’ Contact him at doug@dougcreamer.com