Spring Break!

       We've had a lovely break from the rigors of winter for a few days last week.  The temperatures went above freezing and the feet of snow around here melted and diminished a bit. It was wonderful to throw on my jacket and head out the door without feeling like I had to dress for a polar expedition.  But as lovely as it has been, it is only mid-February and around here, that means there is still plenty of winter left and the weather this week seems bent on proving that winter still has a grip on us.
       I have to confess though, that Spring beckons.  I look longingly at the sale brochures that come in the mail and the paper advertising garden seed, planters, and garden tools.  I see the ads with models wearing thin cotton shirts, shorts, and sandals and I get a little resentful as I put on my layers of shirts and sweaters and warm socks.  Getting dressed for winter's cold can be quite a process.
       Today, we have once again traded sunny skies for gray skies, and some flakes and the lows tonight will again be well below zero.  Winter is not over.  And now as the predictions for spring flooding grow more dire, I have found myself agreeing that it is a good thing that the cold has returned to slow down the melting.  Whether I like it or not, we need a slow and gentle spring thaw with a delayed return to warmth.
       With all of the snow that has been around all winter, I found myself wondering where snow is in the Bible.  I didn't look to just find references comparing things to the whiteness of snow but instead, I wanted to find something about snow and winter.  I didn't expect much, after all, the scriptures come to us from the mid-east which is not known for its' snow storms!  I suppose at the base of my search was the question, "where is God in the snow?"
       In Job, I found a good description of winter.  "For to the snow God says, 'Fall on the earth'; ... Then the animals go into their lairs and remain in their dens.  Form its chamber comes the whirlwind, and cold from the scattering winds.  By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen fast." (Job 37:6-10)  It goes on, "Hear this, O Job; stop and consider the wondrous works of god." (Job 37:14)
       Some might consider my wonderings as foolish and perhaps a waste of time but I share them as an example.  From ancient times on, people have searched scripture longing to find themselves, their experiences, and their questions.  There is reassurance in finding ourselves in the stories, realizing that we do belong just as we are.  When we read scripture, it helps to bind the hope and grace of the good news to our hearts.  And so when I read of the frailty and failings of the disciples, I find the possibility that God can use even me.  Find yourself in God's story and find grace.  Read Isaiah 55:10-11.