Covered

     At the beginning of March, we were beginning to see some signs of the weather slowly warming to the coming spring. We even had a day of rainfall and significant thawing that left us with lake-sized puddles. But alas, winter is still here. In fact, yesterday's hovering snowstorm dumped over 12 inches on the city (in some places 15 and more). It looks more like Christmas is coming than Easter.

     This little-major storm caused some reflection. The snow was falling and falling (and falling) and the air was thick with huge flakes, and despite attempts to shovel and plow and brush off, everything was quickly completely covered in it. Everything. And no one was looking at anything much but the snow itself. It commanded the full attention of those who were out in it, and no small amount of attention from those who knew they would be in it at some point.

     God likens His clearing of our sin to the snow in Isaiah 1:18. His desire is to pour out His mercy and grace through Jesus so that everyone is completely covered. That all of our innate waywardness and sin is blanketed by His loving forgiveness. He longs that we live so completely in His grace that no one looking at us can see much else, because His grace is commanding the attention of those who are around us rather than our own personalities and failures. That even those who don't know Him but know that we do are given cause to think a bit about how the course of our interaction will be when we are together in their company.

     Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "God...always puts us on display in Christ, and spreads through us in every place the scent of knowing Him. For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. to some we are a scent of death leading to death, but to others, a scent of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not like the many who make a trade in God's message for profit, but as those with sincerity, we speak in Christ, as from God and before God." (2 Cor. 2:14-17)

     If you are praying for us, continue to keep in mind our personal safety as we travel about the city and for wisdom in how to connect with people given the weather challenges. But we also desire to be living fully in the grace of God so that when people are around us, that is the primary thing they notice: His grace. And further, that it would make them more open to God Himself.