I absolutely love powerful thunderstorms, and I am at great peace when watching gently falling snow. I am grateful that we are nearing the end of winter here in MN, but there is great beauty in looking out over a completely white ground. The earth needs both of these precipitation methods. Our life is no different.
Thunderstorms effectively wash away the dust and bird droppings left on our vehicles. I love the fragrance of cleanliness after a storm. And then, comes the beauty of new growth that water indulges. The rain reminds me of the washing away of sins in our life that Jesus’ blood did for us on Calvary. In one fell swoop, He effectively washed away all our past, present and future sins. We also need continual rains in our lives to wash away the stains, pains, and hurts that continue to afflict us.
Then, there is the gently falling snow. What a beautiful representation of how love is to cover a multitude of sins. I know that underneath all the snow in our yard lies dead grass, rocks from our driveway that have been plowed into the yard over the winter, and likely items that weren’t brought into the house or shed before the snow came upon us. But, at the moment, it is beautifully clean and white. At some point, the rains will need to come and revive the grass, the rocks will need to be cleared before the mowing season begins and the items will eventually find their home. But, for now, the snow is providing a protective blanket over all of that deadness and trash. We are called to love others in much the same way. We need to allow our love to be used as a covering for others until they are able to work on cleaning up the trash and bringing their dead life back to living life.
The reality of “love covering a multitude of sins” came to life for me when I watched a video about a married couple (sorry, I can’t remember their names at the moment) who shared a very painful part of their relationship. The wife had become involved in an affair, but eventually repented and asked her husband for forgiveness. This was a situation that was going to become public information, so the couple decided to tell their children about it before hearing it elsewhere. The husband lovingly took a blanket and put it up around the two of them and then called the children in. He then went on to explain the situation and shared that the plan going forward was for him to protect his wife in this loving way (to cover her sins), in spite of the betrayal that had happened.
Love falls into both kinds of categories – pouring rain and gently falling snow.