By Hannah L. Halverson
Life sometimes brings storm after storm. The winter that you are in will stay a day too long. And then a tiny miracle happens. God asks you to zoom in. Just for a moment. He invites you to focus on His power in something so small and yet so big. He shows you His sovereignty in the details. He sends you a miracle in the shape of a snowflake…a little love letter that says, “Don’t worry my child…I’ve got this. Trust.” Sometimes during the storm, it’s hard to find the beauty. It’s hard to trust God when the drifts of life pile up faster than you can clear a path. Before the path is clear, and the work is done to make a way… He gives you the most precious gift. A snowflake; pure, perfect and beautiful. The detail of it is intricate and delicate…it’s an invitation to trust His timing. As the drifts of snow pile up at your doorstep, the snowflake is a gift of hope to endure the season that you are in.
It’s a season where all life seems dormant. A season that is hard. A season that causes doubt and worry. It’s easy to lose hope when storm after storm comes. Your eyes may not be able to see the snowflake once it is added to the others. But your heart can remember its beauty and that is what gives you hope. Hope is not found in what you can see. But hope is in what you know to be true. God is in the details of every season.
During winter, its easy to forget that the snow will eventually melt. God will change the season and the snowflake will be transformed into water. This will bring life to the seed that’s been planted and buried deep. The seed then blooms at the right time. If it is exposed to the conditions of winter, it will die. God will use the season you are in to bring change to the next. Through that transformation, new life begins. God is in the details. I can’t say that I remember the snowflake at the moment the flower blooms. BUT…that doesn’t mean that the snowflake didn’t add to the beauty of my life. Sometimes it’s within the season of being buried that you can trust God to do the most powerful work. The work that creates trust in His timing.
The season of Motherhood has had its winters. But God has been so good to send little miracles of hope. Little snowflakes that offer encouragement in the storms. I received one of these snowflakes the other day. I took my oldest son to the Symphony. He and I have weathered many hard days. We have shoveled many pathways to find our way, only to have them covered with the next storm. We’ve put in the emotional work on days where we’ve felt buried. We have endured many hard winters together. But on this day God gave me a glimpse of what’s to come. Only God could know my heart in the way that He does, because only He has heard my prayers for this child throughout the years. It was a date with my son that I will never forget. We share a love for music. Music has been a language that our hearts agree on. The featured musician for the Symphony was a cowboy from Montana. He led us all in a sing along, a rendition of How Great Thou Art. My eyes filled with tears as I thanked God for the winters of Motherhood. I thanked him for the storms that have made me more resilient, the seasons that helped me become who I am. And just at that moment, my son grabbed my hand. He noticed the tears. He held my hand as the tears streamed down my face. This moment was a glimpse from God. A glimpse that helped me see the gentle and caring man my son is becoming. A snowflake of hope to get through the storms and seasons that will come.
How often are you too busy to stop and recognize the beauty of a snowflake? When you are in the middle of winter, do you trust the purpose of the storm? How often do you realize that the storm is preparation for new life? When hope seems lost, God gives you a moment to remind you just how big He is in something so small. It is amazing that He would create such a beautiful detail that most do not see.
The Bible says in Romans 8:18 “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Think of the glory that is revealed in a single snowflake. Think of the delicate beauty that is displayed. How can you find God during the winter of your life? How can you shift your focus to the beauty of the snowflake? Praising Him within the storm, knowing that He exists in every detail. The snowflake may disappear as fast as it came. When your mind sees the drift, your heart will still know of the intricate snowflake that fell to create it. A detail that only God could know would bring about good in the future. What a powerful message of hope. Sometimes God asks you to zoom in, sometimes He asks you to zoom out. The zooming in is a reminder that He is sovereign over every detail. The zooming out creates the trust that He will orchestrate every detail to prepare you for the next season of life. He will water the seeds that have been planted in faith. The suffering you endure in the winter of life can build the resilience that waters the seeds of faith planted for your future. The beauty of the snowflake may only last a moment…but has lasting effect in creation. A moment to remind you of the beautiful presence of God in every detail. God is using this dormant season. He is intricately and delicately arranging the details, orchestrating every moment to bring beauty to your life. God is cultivating what is buried, to bring it to life at just the right time.
Where is God most at work in the dormant places of your life? Where can you find Him in this season you are in? Where is He sending you a love letter in the form of a snowflake? A moment that says, “Don’t worry my child…I’ve got this. Trust.” God will often send you small miracles to remind you just how big He is. Endure the season you are in. Trust that God will use it to water the next. The snowflake eventually changes to water the seed, but its up to God to say when.
Scattered Rubies 