2025 Week 4, White as snow

It was as if a white blanket had been draped all over everything. The Palm trees were laden with snow. The white sandy beaches were covered in snow. My truck was now white. I was snowed in at my Florida home.

Now, snow is nothing new to me. Snow in Florida is not even new. What was new was the amount of snow that fell.

When I was a boy I remember it snowing here. There were some flurries. It didn’t stay around too long, but it snowed and we loved it.

Officially this snowstorm dropped a bit over seven inches. Unofficially it was a couple inches more or maybe less depending on where you live down here. One of my buddies saw ten. Fact is that it snowed a bunch and it stuck around.

People were out walking, sledding, building snow women and men. It was a winter wonderland. Neighbors were saying hello. Grandparents were out playing with their children and grandchildren.

It was a big deal. A big time down here in Florida. It was a change.

Time ushers change. Nothing stays the same. Sometimes that is good. Sometimes not so much.

I kept wondering why is it so different. Was it the cold? Was it the sun bouncing off the snow? Was it the way that community occurred around this event? Why was the snow such a big deal to me?

The first winter I was stationed in Germany, it snowed a lot. The Korengal valley sure did have some snow when I was in Afganistán. It snowed a lot when I lived in DC, Kentucky and Michigan. I was not new to snow so why did it seem to matter so much?

And then as I pondered a memory occurred: “though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow.” Where was that from? I googled. It is a verse from Isaiah the first chapter. The verse is part of a  promise to a people.  Stop sinning and you will get the good stuff or keep sinning and you will get the bad stuff.

That was exactly why the snow mattered to me. I was seeing freshness, newness. It was a world filled with possibility. It was a world of clean slate. It was a world where I needed a thick jacket, pants and boots.

It is usually so hot down here that the thought of a jacket is a rough thought to handle and warm insulated boots are totally unnecessary.  I rarely wear long pants but there I was right along with everyone else -all bundled up. It was cold.  We were cold.

Like I said before, many of the folks down here were out and about. Bundled up and moving, enjoying the cold and just plain being amazed. It was a few days of freshness and fun.

I need more days like those few days. Most of the snow was gone by the third day. (Resurrection reference) Kate was back to work by the end of the week. Saturday went by like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. And now I’m sitting here writing this blog, thinking about Sunday. Thinking about the future.

Do I like change? Do I want to change? Do I want to be honest with myself about the changes I need to make?

I really believe that I want to stop sinning in certain areas. I get it that not having any sin is absurd. If we could be sinless why did Christ come?

That doesn’t mean we can’t have less, much less sin in our lives. We can. As the Holy Ghost reveals sin to us we can move on from it. We don’t need to keep sinning. White as snow is a possibility.

I need that possibility and I need to experience that reality.  Remember: if you believe in God and you pray then you are talking to God. Sometimes when I need immediate change I remember to pray.

Sometimes God gives me the strength to change. Sometimes He just changes me. Sometimes it seems like nothing happens at all.

And then I realize- time just transpired and regardless of how I imagined this moment, the moment has passed and I am now closer to eternity. Closer to standing before God. Closer to experiencing the grace of Christ. Closer to being “white as snow.”