Snow.

I am constantly amazed by the canvas of nature. I am one that appreciates all seasons for what they are (which is a completely different stream of thought), but I especially love snow. There's something about the complete transformation of white and beautiful snowflakes softly falling that is very serene.

The irony that strikes me is that one of nature's most powerful moments is a time when the individual beauty, color and form that makes each work of nature so astounding is completely hidden, dormant, and covered by the uniformity of pure white. The flowers, the trees, the plants, the colorful masterpiece that is mother nature is momentarily suspended under this all emcompassing and consuming blanket. It was in this moment of thought that the Lord reminded me of this verse:

"Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow..." (Isaiah 1:18)

As individual and unique as God made us (which is to be celebrated and embraced), could it be that we are at our most powerful when we are covered and completely transformed by another identity that consumes everything about us and unifies us? When we are dead, we come to life with a purity and power that cannot be generated from anything we have to offer. In Christ, as a new creation, we operate in the power of unity and become one with those around us no matter what color they are or what opinions they hold. And nothing underneath that was there before matters in that moment.

In Christ alone is the chance to let all things be made new. I love the language of the verse, "Come now, let us reason together..." A reminder to me that to die to me is to truly live in Him. And the purity of white is so much more powerful than the colorful mess I try to gather to change the world on my own.

**Today's stream of consciousness is brought to you by the fact that my precious snow fun day pictures are held captive inside my camera due to my card reader dying. Boo. (the pic above is an old snow picture) Hopefully pics to come tomorrow with a new card reader. Yay **