Snow talk

Wilson Bentley could be considered a snowflake expert. In the early 1900's, he captured the first snowflake on black velvet with a camera and microscope. His pictures were later included in his book, "Snow Crystals". Bentley was amazed to find that no two snowflakes are alike. He should know: over his lifetime, he photographed over 5, 000 crystals of snow, even catagorizing them. To Bentley, he was showing the world how wonderful nature could be.

We've had a lot of the white, fluffy stuff in the Midwest recently. Many of us are just sick of it. We're tired of plowing, shoveling, scooping, and throwing the snow that has fallen over the last few days. We don't bother to look closer at it-I mean, snow's snow, right? But the Creator of the universe took great care to provide us with an example of being ourselves. Remember, each snowflake doesn't have a twin. Bentley discovered that, and science has continued to prove it. There are no two flakes alike. Neither are there two people alike. The Lord saw to that!

The Word says in Psalm 139 that " he created our inmost being, he knit us together in our mother's womb" That means the Creator took exquisite care with each of us. He knows the number of hairs on our head (Matthew 10:30) and all the days ordained for us are written in his book before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:16b). We have a living God who cares for us and wants us to love Him. He is faithful even when we are not-he can't deny himself( 2 Timothy 2:13).

This truth is something that many deny-this truth that we can be ourselves. Being genuine in an unforgiving world is scary (especially for those who have been hurt). As followers of Christ, we are called to live a genuine life before the world. Conformity is not to be our garment. Most of us start out sparkling like a light (or a snowflake), but we get crushed by the tires of life and plowed through drifts of disappointment. We know that that original design is inside of us-we just get tired of fighting the world. We conform because it's easy. For those who do(and many who don't), there is a nagging sense that something's not right. We feel like we just pass through life and no one notices the beauty we bring to the world.

There is someone who does, though. He has many names, but this time, it's El Roi (ehl-raw-ee). It means "the God who sees me". It is used only one time in the Bible, but that doesn't diminish its power. This "God who sees me" is the same one who formed you in your mother's womb, who sees your tears when you are lonely, and the one who wraps His arms around you when you are grieving. He can help your light to shine again before the world. Sometimes it's comforting to know that you have someone bigger to rely on. Such " knowledge is too wonderful for us, too lofty to attain"(Psalm 139:6). The wonderful part is that we can start living in relationship with our Creator right now. We don't have to wait or follow the world's lead.

So go wave a flag, throw a snowball, or laugh until your sides ache. Pray with your hands open or closed. Sing or dance before Him who created you. The Lord thinks that you're just wonderful. It's time for the church to follow the Lord's example and love each other and the scary, unforgiving world. Time to shine our lights into the darkness. Time to love the Lord more and the world less. Remember: being who you are is not scary. Being who you're not is.