Our recent blast of artic air was as extraordinary as it was unusual. For a few hours it seemed the snowfall and wind would last for days. In the midst of the storm, highway department personnel drove many long hours clearing mile after mile of roadways for those who needed to get around. Many thanks to those dedicated NCDOT men and women as well as to our Gates County Rescue and EMS who faithfully braved dangerous road conditions to serve the members of our community in need.
Many were glued to their TVs/phones to listen to forecasts of weather conditions. Most of the local and national news anchors filled their broadcasts with weather-related information. In order to connect better with their viewers, bundled-up young reporters shivered in knee-deep snowbanks to give live, 15-second reports. A little positive twist to the dangerous conditions was the conversation opportunities it gave to perfect strangers for many days afterward.
The morning after our six-inch accumulation, I donned several layers of clothing, pulled my boots over a couple of layers of wool socks, and went out for a very short walk. As far as my eyes could see, a fresh and pristine blanket of white covered the ground. Besides the breath-taking beauty, I was stunned by the peaceful silence. Only the crunch of my footsteps broke the quietness. It seemed as though the earth had fallen asleep.
Snow is not a new phenomenon. Many parts of the world receive a lot more of the white stuff than we do. In fact, snow has been around since the creation of this earth. We are told of the vast storehouses and treasuries of snow the Lord controls. My favorite references are found in some of the oldest accounts in God’s Word, the Holy Bible.
“For He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth’…” (Job 37:6); and,
“Have you entered the treasury of snow…” (Job 38:22);
and “He gives snow like wool….” (Psalm 147:16)
Needless to say, snow melts rather quickly in eastern North Carolina, and not many days passed before the mud and muck beneath were revealed. As I watched to gradual change from solid-white earth to more and more pockets of brown, an old chorus came to mind:
White as snow, White as snow
Though my sins were as scarlet
Lord, I know, Lord, I know that I’m clean and forgiven
Through the power of your blood
Through the wonder of your love
Through faith in you, I know that I can be
White as snow.
Imagine, if you will, the amount of snow it would take to cover a pile of blood-red dirt and keep it covered forever. Yet, the Bible tells us that Jesus’ death on the cross covered our sins so completely that they are no longer held against us. Jesus has done His part for us. Our part is to repent of our sins and ask His forgiveness. Anyone who takes this step, no matter how scarlet-colored our past may be, can also sing, “Through the power of Your blood, through the wonder of Your love, through faith in You, Jesus, I know that I can be white as snow.”