SNOW

 

     Today is Saturday, January 29th. I found out yesterday that our restaurant would be closed which meant I had a day to sleep in! It felt great. Some time during the night it began to snow here on Long Island. In my lifetime I have lived through many blizzards. I remember vividly the Blizzard of 1978. It was on a Monday in February when the snow began to fall. I was very happy school was canceled because I was scheduled to give an oral report that day in health class on Cirrhosis of the liver. I was in 8th grade and let's just say I was in no way Pastor Dave back then. Talking in front of a group of people was not my thing. I was shy and quiet back in the day. We were out of school during that blizzard which was actually many snow storms if I remember correctly. I didn't have to do my oral report until later in February! I also remember the Blizzard of 1996. I was a Pastor then and a father of 2 kids at the time. We had to cancel our Sunday night service and the snow began to fall that evening. We lived in a condo on the top floor and watching the snow fall was beautiful from our living room window. We had a great view of the church parking lot and field. I will never forget watching our youth group return from their Winter Retreat later that evening. What was supposed to be a 3 hour trip was 6 hours. Parents came to pick up their kids and you could see the snow getting heavier. 

     Snow can be great, annoying, fun and messy! During my day off today I had a chance to watch the snowfall. The snow looks so clean and it can be peaceful watching it fall. Yet it can also be very annoying. How many people do you know who like to shovel snow? Or how about drive in the snow? I know when I was a kid I loved going sleigh riding and I loved playing in the snow, especially playing football in the snow in our backyard with my brother. I do have to admit that when snow melts it can be very disgusting. After the roads are salted and sanded, it always seemed to land on my car! One thing I do love about the snow besides the fun you can have with it is simple. We can be clean! Isaiah 1:18 tells us "though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow." Snow resembles purity. When it falls it is clean and very white. It is pure. Sin can be messy. The bible tells us in Romans that all have sinned and fall short of God's glory. It is a comfort to me to know that although in my lifetime I have sinned and messed up, Jesus washes away my sin. I am forgiven and my sins are washed away and clean. Not because of anything I have done, it's all because of Jesus and what He did for me on the cross! So during our next snowstorm and blizzard, remember to thank God for washing away your sins and making them as white as snow. 

Be safe everyone and if you live in Florida or down south, come up north for a visit. The snow is waiting for you!