“Though your sins are as scarlet,
They shall become as white as snow;” (Isaiah 1:18b NASB).
Snow days are now a thing of the past. The school my mom works for declared that inclement weather days will now be virtual learning days so say goodbye to unexpected days off. Even though I’m not a student anymore, a little piece of my heart died with that news. I love snow days. I mean really LOVE snow days. As a child, I would eagerly wait with baited breath after hearing the phone ring in the early morning darkness. The excitement I felt at the possibility of a “day off” was close to unreasonable, similar to birthdays and Christmas. Getting to stay home and not go to school is awesome but I also just love snow. My parents’ house sits off the road back up in the woods just a bit. On days when the snow was especially good, meaning eight inches or more, I would suit up, grab my camera, and head out the door. This is literally the only time I would voluntarily go outside.
The best snow day is when there is little to no wind. The quiet whispers of birds or snow lightly falling off branches gives the silence enough life that it is not ominous or oppressive. I crunch through the snow heading into the woods just far enough in to be surrounded by trees. Snow hangs as though beautifully painted on pine branches and outlines deciduous trees. A cardinal flits from tree to tree, stark against the frosty forest background. The feeling I have is unlike anything else, full of peace, stillness, quietness, and beauty. For a moment I can imagine how it used to be before cars and too many people. Everything looks so clean and fresh with all imperfections hidden under pillowy mounds. You would never even know broken down bits of manmade items where here except for the long unused chicken coop too big to be covered by Virginia snow.
Will there be snow on the new Earth? I’m not sure, scripture doesn’t say but I’m certain the feelings I have of peace, contentment, and amazement at my surroundings will be present and in greater magnitude. The excitement of a snow day doesn’t even compare to that! What I do know is that our sins will not be there. “[God] will again take pity on us; He will trample on our wrongdoings. Yes, You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19 NASB). The snow may cover over blemishes and brokenness but it cannot hide the cardinal. As much as we want to try ourselves to fix what we’ve done, we stand out red against the pure holiness of God. In giving our lives to Jesus, He doesn’t just hide our sins He takes them away. We will then be transformed as clean, fresh, and beautiful as freshly fallen snow thanks to the love and sacrifice of Jesus.