Whiter Than Snow

‎"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow..." This verse, from Isaiah 1:18, seemed much more personal after witnessing a blanket of snow that covered my home when I awoke at 4:30 this morning.

5:00 AM comes early, especially to one that goes to bed late.  5:00 AM also comes early when you're awoken throughout the night, once at 3:00, again at 4:00, and finally at 4:30 wondering why it's so much brighter in our bedroom than it normally is at this time of night (or day, depending on your lifestyle).

As I finally dragged myself out of bed (at 4:30 mind you), I knew what was waiting for me outside.  A splendid, but awfully inconvenient, five inch blanket of snow had fallen some time after 10:00 PM the night before.

Why did I dread this?  Because it would take me 20 minutes to clear off my car in order for it to be acceptable and safely drive-able on the road.

However, I was also extremely excited.  Why, you ask?  Considering that I grew up in Southern California, snow was what you saw on television that other people across the country experienced, or if you had enough funds to travel to Big Bear, the closest snow that resided in SoCal.  It was now in my backyard and my dog just loves to frolic in freshly fallen snow. (In all honestly, she'd be just as happy to frolic in any kind of snow, but she really loves the soft fluffy kind that she can lick and eat off the ground.)

After a not-so-quick "morning constitutional" stroll with the dog in the snow, breathing in the cold, crisp and clean air, I discovered that the lay of the land, at least throughout my neighborhood, was not in the best conditions to operate a motor vehicle.  After an email and text message sent around 5:30 (as I called out from work due inclement weather), I sat on the couch and ate my breakfast as a wandering, but incomplete Bible verse popped into my head.  "Whiter than snow..."

I knew the analogy inside and out, and I knew it was mentioned many times throughout the Old and New Testament.  But I never truly experienced this first hand until moving out to Tennessee and never did I relate it personally until now.

Our yard, for lack of a better term, seriously falls short.  We rarely upkeep it, other than to mow, and a random weeding might occur once every lunar eclipse.  It's not an eyesore, at least compared to other yards in the neighborhood, but it ain't anything special either.  So when it snows, all of the ugliness is covered in a beautiful white blanket.  And suddenly my yard looks like a million bucks.

This is what is looks and feels like when you've been redeemed by Jesus Christ. Except He doesn't cover up your past life; your sins.  He washes you clean and makes you whiter than snow.  This realization is not as deep or profound as much as it is personal.  He purchased you, and all of your ugliness and turned it into something beautiful, for all to share for His Glory.

Think about that the next time it snows and it'll put things a little more into perspective.

“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 as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
[Isaiah 1:18-20]