Friday, December 12, 2008

First Snowfall



Last Sunday I had the good fortune of witnessing my first snowfall in over 20 years. I’ve been to the mountains in Southern California and skied, but have not actually seen it snow in a very long time. Sunday's snowfall wasn't big by any means, but nonetheless, it was still spectacular.

I’ve been eagerly anticipating the first snowfall since my move to New England a couple of months ago, much to the dismay of my fellow New Englanders who’d rather prolong the first snow by several weeks. I wasn’t exactly sure how I’d feel the first time I saw snow, but when I woke in the morning, looked out the bedroom window and saw snow on the ground, I was extremely excited at the prospect of finding out.

As luck would have it, it started to snow shortly after I arrived home from church. I made myself a cup of hot cocoa, sat comfortably on the couch and stared out the window in total silence at the spectacle before me. I was completely mesmerized and awestruck by the beauty of it all. There’s something so peaceful about watching it snow.

Many things were going through my mind that day, but one theme in particular kept ruminating in my spirit. Each snowflake was unique. Not only were their sizes and shapes different from each other, but their journey was unique as well. Some flakes fluttered and traveled quite a distance in the wind, while others took a more direct route to the ground. Some flakes got caught up in trees or rooftops and never even made it to the ground.

It got me to thinking about how unique our own lives are and how each one of us has our own journey in life to follow. Much like the snowflakes, we can get caught up in things that prevent us from reaching our destiny and who's to say those obstacles aren't part of our destiny. Sure there are those who to take the fast direct route to their destination, but I suspect most of us flutter around a bit. We may even find ourselves caught up in the wind and heading in a direction we didn’t expect or can’t control.

Similarly, we don’t know what tomorrow’s weather be and like the snow we can’t assume that we’ll be here tomorrow. The good news is that we have Jesus who gives us eternity in heaven, but our time on earth here is short. So learn to make the best of your journey and enjoy it, for it truly is magnificent.

No comments: