What a sight! Within minutes of beginning the very landscape is transformed and the eyesores of the land around us suddenly looks pristine and clean. Such is the "miracle" of snow. The piles of things that needed to be sorted and scrapped are now covered in a clean, white blanket of pure snow. The ugly burn piles, smoldering amongst the ashes and black scarred ground, have been silenced, contained and covered leaving very little trace of what lie there before other than the small depression of the first few inches of snow that absorbed the residual heat and cooled the coals. So it is with most folks in the church today; the solution to the scars of wrong and the disease of sin, is just to cover it up. Meanwhile beneath this blanket of "love", the original wound festers and will soon enough erupt into full blown disaster soon. Just as the snow will melt away in the changing of the seasons and leave all that was before, most likely in worse shape than it was before. So much for the idea of covering up! Far better I think, the investment of clearing before the snow hits; putting away what should be put away, discarding what should be discarded and burying what is dead. Then when the season changes, all will be ready for progress, not just more work doing what was necessary months before. As much as I appreciate the wonderful beauty of the snow and the resultant "rest" it brings with it, I also realize that soon the season will change and the work is still all there, and probably more. Let's deal with today's problems today and leave the progress of tomorrow to tomorrow. Planning for the progress of tomorrow with covered items of today, will necessitate much more energy setting aside the planned progress and bringing all up to snuff to get started again. The covering that Jesus spoke of, in that "love covers a multitude of sins", refers not to a simple band aid of covering, but the love He paid for with His life that allows forgiveness and full restoration by dealing with the source of the sin, the effect of the sin and the consequences of the sin. Then the covering will not just hide the expanding infection from view, but rather remove any potential growth and allow for proper healing. Oh, if only we were so bold to allow Him to work this way, rather than just wish for the snowy covering of "love", as we define it!
For now, as far as the snow goes, I'll enjoy each moment with a cup of hot cocoa and the time to share with the family...but also with the reminder of what lies beneath the blanket of beauty and the reality that it too must be dealt with soon.
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