Lynn Jones: “Snowfall”
By Lynn Jones
Many people in our area got snow this week. I was excited to hear the forecast of snow, but when I saw the snow in our yard the next morning, I hated to get out and walk in it because by doing so I was upsetting the smooth blanket that covered everything. When I finally ventured out, you could tell exactly where I had walked in the yard.
Frank Lloyd Wright was an architectural genius, who left his mark on building design in this country. He said that when he was a boy he walked with his uncle across a snowy field. At the end of the walk, his uncle called his attention to the footprints that they had left in the snow. Wright’s uncle’s tracks were in a straight line across the field.
On the other hand, Wright’s own boyish steps were meandering all over the field. They had carried him to look at a rabbit hole in the ground, a small bush covered with snow, and a single flower that was peeping through the snow. As Wright’s uncle called attention to the difference in the way the two had walked across the field, he said, “There is an important lesson to learn from how we walked across the field.” Wright said that he learned the lesson. He said, “I determined right then not to miss most things in life as my uncle had.”
Something ought to be said about the importance of curiosity and exploration. Moses made the greatest discovery in his life when he saw a bush burning but not being consumed, turned aside to see why, and had his great encounter with God. What do your tracks say about you?
Snowfall has a way of bringing out the child in all of us. Henlee Barnette taught at Southern Seminary in Louisville. He, his wife, and his little girl lived in a house near the seminary campus. One winter a heavy snowfall came to the campus. His wife spent most of the morning playing in the snow with their little daughter. Barnette walked home at noon for lunch. When he got home, his wife apologized for the spare meal she had prepared. Barnette responded, “I didn’t notice because I was blinded by the light in our daughter’s eyes.”
Good parents do not miss such moments. They share them with their children in celebration of the unexpected gifts of God.
There are certain things that occur in the world that are called “acts of God.” Typically, these are things like earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornadoes. Gerald Kennedy said that the real “acts of God” are things like trees turning green in the springtime, leaves blazing with fire in the fall, and the ground covered with snow in the winter. As a witness of a great “act of God” this week, I stand amazed and blessed by His power and grace!
Lynn Jones is a retired pastor who lives in Oxford. He does supply preaching for churches in his area and often serves as an interim pastor. Jones is also an author, has written two books and writes a weekly newspaper column. He may be contacted at: kljones45@yahoo.com.
