White as Snow

Whenever there is a fresh blanket of snow on the ground, someone, somewhere, will make a reference to how sin is covered by grace, or our sin is covered by Christ's blood, and what was once dirty and gross is now clean and as white as new-fallen snow.  Far be it from me to disappoint...

Yesterday, we got a light dusting of snow in the mountains, about 6-8 inches--beautiful, fluffy white snow.  Covering the trees, the cars, the deck, the rocks.  Piled up high on top of bird feeders, light poles, and whatever was left laying out in the yard is wearing a cute little snow hat.  Yes, everything looks beautiful and clean and fresh.  The side garden is all covered with snow, including the weeds and brambles and the extra plastic planters I unceremoniously just tossed down by the compost bin.  The front garden is a winter wonderland, with magical, snow-covered branches and what looks like fairy dust on the bird bath; the half-decomposed, moldy kitchen scraps dug up by a bear or raccoon are no longer visible, and the stumps of trees Alex never got around to leveling, begging to trip up an unsuspecting gardener (uh, me), are now gentle mounds of soft, white snow.  The dents and rust on the bumper of my car are hidden by a new lovely winter coat, and the back deck, normally littered with shells of sunflower seeds from my collection of bird feeders, is now coated with a white ermine blanket of freshly fallen snow.  

But in a few days, it will all melt, and only the ugliness and dirt will remain.  I will once again be reminded of the need to bury my kitchen scraps deeper to prevent the forest animals from digging them back up, and I will have to walk more carefully among the stumps until Alex has time to cut them down. My car will have rust, and dents needing fixing, and I'll have to take a broom to the back deck.  

So where am I going with all this? Today I was reading three verses in Lamentations:  

"But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:  The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lam 3:21-23)

Reading those three short verses, my heart leapt. His mercies never come to an end! They are new every morning! My Lord loves me always. He has forgiven me and will continue to forgive me, every new day of my life. Despite the fact that He knows I will commit new sins, grievous sins.  Despite the fact that it is in His power to punish me, punishment I deserve, to destroy me...He does not.  He is the personification, the perfection of mercy.  New mercies.  Every morning.  Not snow, just covering things up, snow that just hides the dirt underneath, snow that will melt away. Not just an appearance of cleanliness. But mercy. Forgiveness.  Complete, utter, final, washed in Jesus' blood, mercy.  

"as far as the East is from the West, so does he remove our transgressions from us"  (Ps 103:12)

"Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool."  Isaiah 1:18

I love snow.  Thank you Jesus for making my sins white and beautiful so I may have continual hope in God's everlasting love.  

Snow does make folks wax poetic.