Just over Here, Embracing the Magic of Snow Days :)

There is something undeniably magical about snow days! It is a memorable experience to watch snowflakes float from the sky and land softly. The fluffy, white flakes gently fall, and time feels paused. The everyday noise begins to fade. The snow gives a white blanket of calmness. Years ago, snow brought outdoor play. Our family snow days typically ended with warm cocoa and yummy homemade soup. The beauty of the flakes now and of long ago brings me a magical comfort and highlights God's handiwork.

Feb, 2014

The beauty brings a magical comfort and highlights God's handiwork.

Did you know that scientists estimate at least a million trillion snowflakes fall annually, each with its own intricate pattern? According to the Library of Congress, it could be closer to a 1, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, or a trillion trillion snow crystals that fall from the sky every winter. It is magical that so many flakes fall every year. Astonishingly, no two are alike. Each flake is unique - a miracle, really.

Side note - "The notion that no two snowflakes are alike was put forth by Wilson Bentley, a meteorologist from Vermeon who took the first detailed photos of snowflakes between 1885 and 1931. He went on to photograph over 5000 snow crystals, and the modern snowflake expert Kenneth Libbrecht states that he 'did it so well that hardly anybody bothered to photograph snowflakes for almost 100 years.' Bentley's assertion of snowflakes might be almost 100 years old, but it has held up to scientists scrutiny.'" (According to McGill, Office of Science and Society article entitled "Is it true that no two snowflakes are Intenital? Click Here for the full article.)

Friend, if God put that much care into crafting a snowflake that lasts briefly, can you imagine how much more thought and design God put into you and me? David understood this when he wrote in Psalm 139, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." This speaks to the care and attention with which God thought of and mastered when he formed you in your mother's womb. God could have mass-produced humanity, but we are a masterpiece carefully formed by the Master's hand. You were handcrafted and homemade by God with careful thought. We indeed are an extraordinary work!

You are a masterpiece formed by the Master's hand.

This brings me comfort when I feel less than or lacking. I can confidently move forward, knowing I have been created with everything needed to accomplish His plan. I can march into the uncomfortable or unknown because I have a blessed assurance in the One who knows me and the future.

David Jeremiah with Turning Point says it this way, "Billions of snowflakes, yet each one unique. Perhaps you've been blown around in the storm, disjointed, and lost in the crowd. Perhaps you feel unloved. Perhaps you're around some snowflakes that seem perfect and feel inferior. Not every snowflake is perfectly formed, but every snowflake is unique and beautiful. In God's design, a snowflake's imperfections enhance its beauty. Perhaps you've forgotten how special you are to Him, that you're one of a kind. The Bible says we are His workmanship, fearful and wonderfully made."

If you, like me, have enjoyed the recent snowfall, or perhaps the next time you see a snowflake, let it remind you that, like the snowflake, you are His workmanship. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are a beautiful planned design, designed for a beautiful plan! It's even better than a snowflake!

You are a beautiful planned design, designed for a beautiful plan!