Whiter than Snow
Riding in the car with my mom today I was looking out the windows at the snow. Living near Pittsburgh, there is a lot of it out the window to look at. I have piles along my driveway that are at least 3ft tall, and may around my cul-de-sac much larger. But, what I noticed today was the dark, dirty, ugly snow along the side of the road. Not only was it along the edge of the road, but because a plow had been by recently that dirty disgusting snow had been flung into the clean white snow further in. And my mind traveled to
Psalm 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
In Psalm 51 David is coming before God and admitting his sin. He is testifying to the fact that he has sinned, and asking God to forgive him and to cleanse him so he might spread God’s message and sing praise once again. I know that a lot of people know this verse, even if they don’t know where to find it (I admittedly knew the verse and the reference to snow, but had to do a search to see where it was in the Bible).
When I thought of this verse and its reference to being washed whiter than snow I thought of the pure, white pristine snow. To bee whiter than that, to be clean and pure before God is an Awesome thought. Then I see this dirty snow, encroaching on t pure white snow. It starts at the edge, just some dirty slush, turning the snow near it a dingy brow. But as time goes by vehicles go by splashing it further and further into the pure white snow. Then a plow drives by with the scoop down and the dirty slush is flung a few feet into the snow. Its dirty brown marks all over what was once pristine white snow.
I saw this and I thought about my own life. How I come before God, acknowledge my sin and struggles. I am reminded that by Christ’s sacrifice I am forgiven and washed clean. I am made whiter than snow. But, if I do not do this continually throughout the day, if I do not take the time to read my Bible, to praise and pray to God throughout the day, I soon become like the snow on the side of the road. I get a dark edge to me, I notice myself becoming more agitated with customers, or annoyed by family members. If I continue like this people continue moving through my life and like the cars they stir up the slush, they splash it on the pure white areas near the edge. I might act on my frustration, treat a customer rudely, or yell at my brother or sister. Eventually some stressor comes along that acts like the plow and just flings the filth further into my life. I watch a show I shouldn’t, I keep looking at a woman and let my mind drift, I become covered in the dirt and grime of the world.
What I took from this thought, this visual expression that came to mind is that I need to daily continually come before the Lord and be cleansed. I need to seek God out and have him wash me as the day goes on. I cannot just be washed once and be clean forever, much like the snow keeps coming here in Pittsburgh, and falling atop the old dirty snow making everything clean and white again, I need to continue to seek out God and have him make me whiter than snow day after day.
Tedward's Ramblings 