Snowy Deo Gloria

No question about it, Old Man Winter can be formidable. He is literally cold as ice. And the snow! It covers your car, it slows everything down, it’s just not fun.

When you live somewhere cold, it is almost an unspoken rule that you complain about the weather. It’s like a social sacrament. We utter our quick Hi, how are you? and Fine, yourself? and proceed to drop our pinches of incense before the god of warmie-placie.

Well, if we really have a problem with it, we’ll have to take it up with the Boss, for:

He gives snow like wool;
    he scatters frost like ashes.
He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs;
    who can stand before his cold?

Psalm 147:16-17

If there’s snow on the ground (and on the houses, cars, basketball hoops, and bushes) where you live today, God sent that snow. Sure, it’s a royal pain to deal with. And if you work in the open air, or on the road, it cannot be easy. But snow is still so cool. C.S. Lewis puts it well in That Hideous Strength:

“I don’t think I should ever learn to like rain and snow” [said Jane].

“It’s the other way round,” said Denniston. “Everyone begins as a child by liking Weather. You learn the art of disliking it as you grow up. Haven’t you ever noticed it on a snowy day? The grown-ups are all going about with long faces, but look at the children—and the dogs? They know what snow’s made for.”

After the shoveling is done and the cars are cleared, steal a few moments to cozy up with a hoody and a hot drink and look out the window. Gaze upon the wondrous visage and ponder the delicate loveliness of the snow. Or better yet, bundle up and go for a walk in it. But careful now! A spirit of childlike wonder may come upon you suddenly and lead you to do the unthinkable: to see God’s glory in the snow and thank him for it.