On Monday I left home and thought that what I was looking at after a fresh snowfall was an absolutely beautiful sight. Today, I look out and I am not thrilled by what I see at all. Monday it was cold and grey, there was wind, but the snow had fallen gently and things did not seem so bad. What had fallen had left a blanket on nature that was warm and inviting. As I drove, I saw people stopping to take pictures and enjoy all that their eyes were taking in. Today is also cold, grey and windy and there is nothing gentle about the snow. It is messy. Everyone wants to stay in hiding. There is nothing inviting us to come and enjoy. Here’s the thing though- Two different days but it is still winter. We are still in the same season.
The winter season comes with so many surprises and uncertainties. The same is true for the ‘season’ of winter that we can sometimes find our lives are going through. This very real season in our emotions and our experiences can sometimes feel dark, cold, dreary and comes with one storm after the other. And there are also days where things don’t seem so bad. We become comfortable and feel cozy enough to just enjoy where we are, even though the season hasn’t changed.
He knows the storms we go through. He still has a plan. He still is working intimately in each storm to bring out a purpose.
Monday, I thought of the phrase in a song “walking in a winter wonderland”. When I think of a wonderland, there is a sense of excitement, anticipation, expectation of fun and joy. The idea is that we are going to find something that will be surprisingly good. As I looked at the snow, I remembered the lesson I learned in school about snowflakes. Every. Single. One. Is. Unique. No two snowflakes are the same. God is shaping unique beauty out of each and every one of us. He is creating beauty out of every experience that we have. Every storm that we go through has something unique for us to learn. Every challenge has its purpose.
While in this moment what is falling is not enjoyable, I am taken back to the words of the song and my lesson about snowflakes–because even in this storm, God is crafting every individual snowflake and still takes pleasure in making every one that falls have uniqueness and beauty in it. We may not see it but God does. He knows each one that he has made. God knows us. He knows the storms we go through. He still has a plan. He still is working intimately in each storm to bring out a purpose.
Each winter season has beauty. It has surprises for us that God wants us to uncover. Each moment has a uniqueness to it, that is created just for us and no one else. God wants to speak something to us that He is not speaking to someone else. Isaiah 55:10 also assures us that there is accomplished life giving purpose in every snowfall. It does not go wasted. God is intimately involved in every snowflake and storm just as He is intimately involved in creating something good in each and every one of us. As we walk with God through winter seasons, may we walk in a winter wonderland expecting there to be something good that God is creating in us, with us, for us, through us and there is something good waiting for us to receive from His good hand. Romans 8:28 reminds us that God works all things for our good. God’s hands are on every snowflake – Psalms 148:7 confirms that and declares He is to be praised as everything does His bidding – even the snow! God is with us and His glory is still on display in every and even in, cold winter snow.
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