A Blanket of White

A Blanket of Snow

It’s snowing!  I love to watch the snow fall from the heavens, especially the way it falls today.  There is no wind, so the flakes drift lazily downward.  The flakes are big and fat, my favorite.  Standing by my dining room patio window, I watch them descend in the light of my patio porch light.  Some of these flakes are huge, and they plummet quickly to the ground.  On the patio, which is still warm from this afternoon’s above freezing temperatures, the flakes quickly melt and disappear.  But the trees, the ground, and the patio furniture are colder than the cement patio.  Here the flakes accumulate, and the back-yard world is covered in a beautiful blanket of white.  The dark underside of the tree branches creates a vivid contrast to their snow-covered tops.  The black wrought iron patio chairs, covered in snow, shine whitely in the night.

As I watch, fascinated, I think of the old hymn, “Showers of Blessings.”  Surely these flakes from heaven are showers of blessings, for I am blessed by watching them fall. 

Watching them land reminds me of the parable of the seed.  Some of these tiny white blessings disappear as quickly as they hit the pavement.  Others accumulate, forming a mass of white splendor.  How many times do blessings from God quickly disappear because those for whom those blessings were intended are unwilling to receive them?  Like the flakes on the concrete, these blessings disappear, just as if they had never fallen from the heavens. 

When, on the other hand, we are looking for God’s blessings, and are receptive to them, then they pile up.  When covered with these tiny blessings, the barren winter landscape of our spiritual lives becomes a winter wonderland.  The more the snowflakes accumulate, the more evident their beauty. 

When we allow ourselves to be blanketed with God’s blessings, we, too, are covered in beauty.  This beauty is evident for all to see.  This doesn’t mean our lives are perfect; it simply means we have allowed God’s grace to blanket all our imperfections with His pure, white grace.  When we are covered in His blessings, others can see the beauty and purity of our risen Lord.

Father, open our eyes to see the many blessings with which you constantly shower us.  May they not fall in vain.  Let your beauty and your blessings cover our humble human hearts so others may see how beautiful you are.

Ezekiel 34:26 “I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill.  I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.”