Silent Beauty Shining High

The other night my husband proved the depth of his love…and his insanity.  We have a small cabin behind our home that quarters a second freezer.  I had asked him earlier in the day to collect a few packages of moose sausage for lunch the next day.  As time so often does, it got away and we soon realized it was 10:30, so I began devising Plan B.  Jeff however, wasn’t hearing of it.  Wearing his pj’s and a bath robe, he threw on his cap and headlamp, and took off on his cross country skis.  After a good laugh at his appearance I went outside to enjoy the view of him skiing through the dark in his bathrobe.  That was when I saw something amazing…

One of my favorite things in Alaska is the snow.   As I watched my husband disappear into the darkness, I looked out across our yard and noticed how the cool moon light was cast across the snow.  When my eyes adjusted to the light, it revealed a white blanket of diamonds. 

The weather this fall has been erratic in Texas as well as Alaska.  On the Kachemak Bay, the temperature may rise above freezing during the day, which causes a slow melt.  At night, the temperature decreases and the snow refreezes.  The night air cools the outer surface of the snow banks faster than the inside.  As the water vapor escapes from inside; it meets with the freezing air causing a spectacular growth of icy crystals called hoar frost.  At times I have seen frost flakes the size of quarters.  When the moon is just right, these hexagonal prisms appear as fields of brilliantly cut gems. 

Waiting for my husband’s return I sat thankful for the diamonds laid before me.  I looked up to see a sky full of glimmering stars.  I basked in a field of diamonds both above and below.  The scene reminded me of a song lyric by the late Johnny Cash, “Field of diamonds in the sky, silent beauty shining high…” 

The majestic snow also reminded me of how God covers our sin.  Like a new snow fall covers over the brown death of autumn, so does Jesus’ atoning sacrifice cover our sins with love. God has sought to be his creation’s place of covering since the beginning. Romans 4:7, calls God’s protected, “blessed” because our sins have been covered.

Recently, I had the sheer terror of driving through a blizzard.  I was traveling with a girlfriend and my three month old baby girl.  Suddenly, my beautiful blanket of snow turned into an assault of blinding, white, wind.  The storm was a terrible combination of heavy sleet and snow, 80 mile per hour wind, and dangerous black ice.  It reminded me of the storms of life. 

Life is full of storms:  Loved ones fall ill, marriage is hard, then there is an accident, an abuse, and the winds begin to pick up.  Soon we begin to lose those we love; we lose a baby, we lose a spouse, we lose a friend…these unexpected, difficult times may make us question God’s covering.  The covering of God’s love is there, but it has been picked up and blown against us by the ferocious wind of Satan to such a degree that we can’t see two feet in front of us.  Panic sets in, we feel completely isolated, and we lose our bearings.  We can forget that we had a covering to begin with and only see the storm around us. 

On my road trip I had two choices.  I could have pulled over, possibly getting stuck in the foot of snow that lined the pull-outs or I could keep going.  Slowly, slowly my precious cargo and I progressed down the highway.  My arms were locked at “10 and 2”, prayer became my breath, and the road ahead my heartbeat.  At times it was only the snow berm that lined the road that kept me headed in the right direction.  When I would veer off course, the solid berm would guide me back into my lane, not unlike the way the Spirit helps us stay on course.  The journey was twice as long and exhausting, but we safely avoided two avalanches, and a road closure to thankfully make it home.

During the storms of life, when we would pay anything to find relief from the onslaught of the Enemy, our Lord wants nothing more than to tuck us under the covering of his wing.  We need only to seek His refuge during the storm. It is in God’s refuge from the storm that we can once again see the priceless beauty of the world around us.

Psalm 36:7

How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!

People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

Prayer:  Almighty, Lord, you are awesome and holy.  Like little chicks running toward their momma, we run to your outstretched wings.  Thank you for rescuing us.  Thank you for providing a place of refuge and security against the danger that surrounds us.  Thank you for reminding us of your love and grace-filled covering through beautiful images like snow.  From under Jesus’ loving cover, we pray these things.  Amen.

Dana Jaworski
Anchor Point, AK

Special word of thanks to Gail Presley of Happy Valley, Alaska for the photos that accompany this article.  Beautiful!