“I have loved you with an everlasting love.” Jeremiah 31:3
I was at my desk early one morning looking out the window and watching the snow fall and the birds eating at the feeders. My mind was instantly filled with so many past snow memories – from making snow angels and snowmen, to sledding in the park and in our neighborhood, to putting out seeds for the birds, to sleeping in my pajamas turned inside out so school would hopefully be cancelled to making snow ice cream to taking long walks in the neighborhood with my best friend, Kim. As soon as it would start snowing, we would call each other and get dressed to walk in the snow. With the snow falling, everything looked beautiful and peaceful and there was always a sense of stillness and quietness. We would start off laughing and talking a lot, but it wasn’t long before we would grow quiet and simply enjoy the crunching sound of our boots in the snow.
As a teenager, I marveled at the beauty God created when everything was covered with a blanket of snow. It’s amazing how a few snowflakes changed my perception of the world around me. The crisp air and snow heightened my senses and I always felt I was witnessing a transformation taking place. Those times lifted my spirits and filled me with an extra measure of joy, hope and excitement. I love how God uses even snowflakes to remind us of Himself.
All these years later, I still have that same joy and hope. Now I know the true source of that joy – my relationship with Christ. Even back then, the Holy Spirit was working in my heart to draw me to a personal relationship with Christ.
Now when I see snowflakes falling, I immediately think of God’s word. He tells us in Matthew 6:26-27, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” God used the birds feeding in the snow to remind me how very much He cares for me and to not live in a state of worry.
He tells us in Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God.” That’s exactly how I feel walking in the quietness of snow. I know God is with me, around me and walking with me every step of my life. I often need to slow down, take time to be quiet, focus and remember that He is God and He is in control – not me!
Just as snow seems to transform the world we see, God’s word and His love transforms me. We read in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” I love how God is continually transforming me through daily reading and studying of His word.
As God blankets the earth with the beauty of snow, He also blankets us with His love. We know this love from John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” This love is everlasting and is freely available to every single person who asks.
I’ve read that no two snowflakes are alike. Only God could create so many different ones. He tells us in Psalm 139:13-14, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” It is a blessing to know He created each of us uniquely and for His purposes and pleasure. He knows us personally and His love for us is eternal.
I hope as you experience snow this season or maybe just a few flurries, you will take time to slow down, be quiet and watch the snowflakes fall and remember God’s great and everlasting love for you!