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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Winter (11/14/05)
The weather man had said it would happen, but in her heart she didn’t believe him. Yet there she stood in her kitchen clutching her still steaming cup of coffee watching out the window as the snow fell in her backyard. The kids were already in bed, but she was so tempted to wake them up, and her husband wasn’t home from a meeting at church yet. So all alone with her eyes still wide in amazement she stepped out onto the back porch. She hugged her hot cup of coffee, as the steam floated up near her face. As she closed, she smiled.

The whole neighborhood was quiet, no dogs barking just peaceful silence. She stood there enjoying every moment of it. With her eyes still closed tightly, she could feel the snowflakes falling on her face, and if she held her breathe she could hear them landing in the yard. It was such a magical experience for her, to stand there in the falling snow, watching as her whole yard turned white. She smiled to herself knowing that it wasn’t magic at all, it was the hand of her loving Father. Weather had long marveled her. Being an Alabama girl, she had always been amazed at thunder and lightening and yes even tornados, but snow was something new for her.

It seemed to her to be such a miraculous thing. She understood the science of it all, but everything is larger then science. Who else, she wondered, could orchestrate something so beautiful. Each snowflake different and lovely, touched by the makers hand. She stood there clutching her coffee as she watched the flakes dance through the sky, landing on the brown dead grass in her yard. She could already envision what it would look like in the morning. Everything would be different, there wouldn’t be a sign of that brown dead grass anywhere. Everything would be covered in a thick white sparkly blanket of snow. It certainly would be a beautiful sight, of course that would be before the kids ran out leaving footprints and snow angels in their paths. She smiled at the thought of how excited they would be when they woke up to a winter wonderland.

Her eyes closed again, so she could listen to the falling snow.
“The brown grass will still be there once the snow is gone,” a quite voice whispered in her heart.
She stood for a moment thinking about that thought.
“ Of course you are right Father,” she whispered. “All the ugliness will still be there when the snow melts away.”

She brought her cup to her lips still in thought.
“Daddy! That’s not what happens with my ugliness is it? You promised me in Isaiah 1:18, that it would be washed white as snow, not hidden white as snow. Even that past sin I keep tormenting myself over. It’s gone in your eyes. You didn’t just cover it. If the snow melted off of that sin, there wouldn’t be anything left would there?”

She stepped back inside, and sat down at the dining room table. Her eyes were still fixed on the back yard as she watched the snow fall. The tears still ran down her face as she thought about her sins being completely taken away. Her whole Christian life she had been afraid that everyone would find out. That the ugly truth about all the things in her past would come to light. That in someway the covering over her sins would blow away and leave her exposed. She wept, as she finally realized that when her Father said he forgave her, He meant it.

As she felt a peace wash over her, she looked back out the door and smiled. She knew she would never look at snow the same way again.
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Jan Ackerson
11/21/05
Quiet and lovely. Very, very nice.
Nina Phillips
11/22/05
I liked your thoughts towards the end. Nice post. God bless ya, littlelight
Sandra Petersen
11/24/05
Your introductory paragraph was good, but the last sentence confused until I read the next paragraph. I assume she closed her eyes. Loved "hugged her cup of coffee". I could sense in my inner being the peace of the first sentence of the second paragraph. P. 3-Indeed, who else but the Grand Orchestral Composer and Conductor could orchestrate this? Liked the phrase "leaving footprints and snow angels in their paths".
Good reflections in p. 4 and 5, especially our sins washed, not hidden, away. P.6 I liked the phrase "the covering over her sins would blow away and leave her exposed". Some words to watch for: you meant "breath", not "breathe" (P2), "quiet", not "quite" (P4), "from", not "off of". From personal experience, I would also suggest that our past sins can be utilized by God through the Holy Spirit to minister to someone caught in bondage to that same sin. But first, we ourselves must totally submit that area to the Lord or we could risk being drawn in again. This was a refreshing contemplation for this season!