I love snow. I especially enjoy watching it come down and the accompanying peaceful quiet.
As a child going to bed while it was snowing, I hoped that the accumulation would lead to the greatest possible snow event – a snow day! A snow day represented many things for me as a child: the joy of missing school, making snow forts, sledding, warm cookies, and in general, a quiet, peaceful day at home. It was a chance to take a break from the usual schedule of life and just relax.
In today’s world, snow days are certainly not like they used to be. For kids, they still include the joy of staying at home from school, sledding, and playing in the snow. But now, the fun only happens after they have finished their on-line assignments through virtual school. The requirements to complete a certain number of official school days each year trumps having official snow days.
As an adult, I also find the joy of a snow day elusive. In fact, for me, there seems to be no such thing as a day “off” because of the snow. Instead, when it snows, I get up an hour earlier so that I can clear the driveway in order to slide my way into the office or perhaps to the store for milk – because life must go on.
As I begin to write this article, there is a fresh six inches of snow on the ground. I have decided that I am taking a snow day. I am determined to not leave the house for anything. Today, life can go on without me for a change.
I believe God intended for us all to have snow days. Perhaps not in the usual way we picture them in our minds – with snow and warm cookies – but with the same benefits for our mind and spirit. We would profit from a day of having a quiet retreat from our normal schedules or simply a chance to experience joy and fun in the ordinary. Most importantly, we would all benefit from the possibility of directing our thoughts and actions towards God.
God has already provided for us a snow day each week. It is called, Sabbath. It is a day where we can experience these very things. But just like snow days, we have often neglected our Sabbath days. Instead we use them to continue our daily grind, living out the idea that we need to keep life going, or things will fly apart without us. But without Sabbath, we are the ones who fly apart.
We easily forget that life is not about us and our desires, but rather it is about embracing, honoring, and worshipping God. Life is about allowing the reins of our lives to be in God’s hands. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8, ASV) is both a command from God and a reminder to regularly honor our Creator and Sustainer of life by disengaging from the regular life that we so diligently follow. In doing that, we will find rest for our souls and the joy of life will be restored.
The great thing about snow days and Sabbath days is that at the end of the day, both are of greater profit and worth than any work that could have been done in their place. That’s because God’s work has no equal.
I am hoping for a lot of God’s snow days in 2022, for all of us. I can almost smell the warm cookies already!
The opinions expressed in articles posted on Mosaic’s website are those of the author and may not reflect the official policy of Mosaic Conference. Mosaic is a large conference, crossing ethnicities, geographies, generations, theologies, and politics. Each person can only speak for themselves; no one can represent “the conference.” May God give us the grace to hear what the Spirit is speaking to us through people with whom we disagree and the humility and courage to love one another even when those disagreements can’t be bridged.