This morning I jumped out of bed because I couldn’t wait to peek out the window and see a snowflake. First I checked my phone to view the radar and sure enough the radar was indicating the precipitation falling outside my window was in fact snow.
At first I couldn’t see it so I turned on the porch light and peered out into the dark morning. There it was… snow. My eyes teared up. Every time it snows I cry.
I am not an extremely emotional person but snow makes me cry. It is a reminder of grace for me.
Though the winter is cold we get to experience the beauty of snow. Snow is a gift from God. The white powder blankets the dead, cold earth and everything looks fresh and new for a time.
Lamentations 3:22-24
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
This morning the snow reminded me of the mercies of God that are new every morning. As seasons and temperatures change God is still faithful to reflect his beauty, majesty and power.
In winter He provides snow which blankets the earth with its beauty.
In the spring when the earth is soggy and muddy, and the thunderstorms are roaring God provides daffodils and other early spring blooms.
In the summer, for relief from the heat, God provides the coolness of water.
And of course in the fall, only God could imagine creating leaves to turn their most beautiful colors right before they die and begin to decay.
His mercies are new every morning, great is Your faithfulness.
God is faithful. With every change of season there is no surprise; there is death and beauty. The old season is gone and the new season is coming. If God is faithful to give us new seasons, of course God is faithful to provide new mercies for me every morning.
Raising my kids in the church has been a great blessing. Not because they will learn to “be well behaved” or it will “look good on their college applications to have been involved in church.” It is nice because all around you there are parents who have walked in your shoes, or we could even say, “in your sweatpants.”
The other morning God’s tender mercies arrived to me in an email from a friend in church who witnessed my frustrations with parenting from the night before.
She wrote:
A word of encouragement from Proverbs:
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6
When my children were young, I wondered why the word “old” was in Proverbs 22:6. Now I realize that when our children are young, it is the season of life when we train and train and train and train and train. We sow for a very long time and MUCH later we reap. Our consistency and perseverance during the younger years is exhausting, but it is worth it! Time passes so quickly! You will reap in a season to come, but now you are in the season of sowing and training. Keep up the good fight! If you need additional encouragement, the book of Proverbs was my go-to book when my kids were toddlers.
Have a day filled with the assurance of God’s promises.
What a blessing to find in my inbox that morning.
The little years are tough. For me it is a season like the coldest winter. Where is my snow?
We have been training…and training…and training…It takes exactly what my friend said to me in her sweet note: consistency and perseverance. It is a marathon and not a sprint.
The goal is not good behavior, a good resume, a decent job, or that they will turn out okay. The goal is godliness.
I don’t want my children to be good, I want them to fear the Lord, to serve the widows and orphans, to have a heart that loves God and walks with Him in repentance and faith.
We pray a lot for and with our kids. In the past few months we have been teaching the boys to pray following ACTS model of praying: adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication.
I say the underlined parts and the italics are words they come up with on their own.
Adoration: God you are so…
(big, strong, mighty, you made us, you love us, you protect us)
Confession: God, I’m sorry…
(for not listening, not sharing, for hitting my brother)
Thanksgiving: Lord thank you for…
(my family, friends, our house, for forgiving us and for loving us)
Supplication: Lord help me…
(stay in my bed, help me obey my mom and help me love you more each day)
There is my snow. The tears seem to flow when I listen to my kids pray. Just like when I witnessed the snowflakes falling. This is a tough season but there is grace. There are little mercies here and there.
God is present. He is working. God is using the friends in our lives like my porch light this morning to help us see things we can’t, to remind us that this season will pass and soon there will be a harvest.
In parenting it can sometimes feel like we are staring out into the dark morning. The dark morning of nos and repeating the same directions over and over.
Search for the snow. If you can’t see the beauty in the darkness find someone who has been there to shine the light and give you a little perspective.
His mercies are new every morning. He is faithful in every season.
Thank you for your encouraging words Rachel, and for being my light of perseverance this morning. You have a gift and I have always been/am so grateful for our friendship!
Love you Michelle, thank you so much for supporting me! You are a forever friend and a light of perseverance to me as well.
This – so needed. Thank you, Rachel! Having someone who’s been there before to shine a light in the darker times has been a huge blessing for me, too. The snow is a beautiful image for God’s mercy.
Thank you Missy. As believers, we are so blessed to have the body of Christ to help us see His mercy in dark seasons. Thank you for taking the time to read a small part of the story God is writing in my little life.
Thank you. “The goal is godliness” These encouraging words apply to raising teenagers too!
Thank you Carol, for encouraging me to step out in faith. You are a light to me in dark seasons.
Your best one yet Rachel! Really well written and I know someone was touched by it! 🙂
Hannah, thank you. I knew you would like the snow post 😉 I miss you but I am thankful we can walk together with Christ via social media.
An encouragement for this weary heart in a far away land. Waiting expecantly with you in the darkness… thankful for gospel friends who sing Truth along the journey.
Sharon, thinking of you and hoping your son is on the mend. You are a light for me in the darkness as well. From Matthew, Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. He will lighten your load.
Thank you so much for these words! I love the image of snow and God’s mercies, most importantly for me, “the goal is godliness” is spot on!! Too often, I feel like I get caught up in the appearances and the behaviors ( yes, the behaviors need to be addressed) and lose the bigger picture..the heart that is being cultivated. Thanks again (as with all of your posts) for your words of inspiration.
Beth, thank you so much for reading my words! It is easy to get caught up in the fruit that falls from the tree but the goal is at the roots. godliness 🙂
I feel the same way about snow. It makes the dark and gray season bearable with His beauty. I love the implied reminder her to look for the snow in our every day lives. Just lovely…
thank you. sometimes it is hard to see the snow but His tender mercies are new every morning. He is faithful to make every season beautiful <3
Thank you so much for these words! I love the “the goal is godliness”! Too often, I feel like I get caught up in the appearances and the behaviors ( yes, the behaviors need to be addressed) and lose the bigger picture..the heart that is being cultivated. Thanks again (as with all of your posts) for your words of inspiration.
Thank you so much for my book “Prayer” I really appreciate it.
Incourage is a great place for women. I am so glad you are enjoying the book in prayer from them:) Thank you for reading. Blessings
Amen and amen! That is good stuff! Thank for sharing…all of it. 🙂
I know it was a long one:) Thanks for reading, I hope you will swee his faithfulness in every season.
In a dark dark place just now with teenage hatred abounding.. but as I trudged out in the pure snow this morning, turning to the Lord as I went in the dark of a Scottish Highland morning, I too was struck by how the white purity covered the mud and the grime and the grit of the day before… and made all beauty for a season. I was reminded of Eucharisteo (Ann Voskamp) and of giving thanks for the ugly beautiful and how HIS GRACE ALWAYS brings beauty. His Spirit working in two mamas in two far parts of the world with the same blessing. A wonderful encouragement to read tonight.
As someone who loves working specifically with teens and was once a teenager with hatred abounding, hang in there. He is faithful and will show you His tender mercies. They are new every monring. Great is his faithfulness.
Appreciate your inspiring words. Love, Jean
Thank you for appreciating and enjoying my writing. Thank you for reading:)
I could have never guessed that the woman I married, the one who only applied to colleges that didn’t require a written essay, would turn into the gifted writer that God has so unexpectedly used. Great work. Very proud and thankful to be married to this beautiful author.
aww. sweet husband. thank you for supporting me and allowing me to be myself. rough edges and all.
I love the Acts prayer model you shared! Thank you.
We love it too. It is helpful for me to remember to keep my prayers God centered instead of me centered.
You’re welcome. I love it too. It helps me keep my prayers God centered instead of me centered. Thank you for reading my post ;0)
Rachel,
I’m saving your blog post and words of encouragement for everytime one of my fellow mama friends has one of those challenging mama days–thank you so much! And ironically, I can’t help but think and wonder if we are somehow distantly related…(besides being in the same family of God!) as my maiden name was Craddock! Have a wonderful day!
The season is tough. My blog has been a great place of encouragement for a lot of the young mamas I know. I write about real challenges accompanied with lots of grace. onewiththepastor.blogspot.com.
We might be related:)
I am so thankful our son is married to this gifted writer and mother. Rachel, thank you!
Thank you for raising a godly husband and father. Thank you for taking the time to read my post today!
Beautiful analogy Rachel. I know you are an inspiration to many young families as you
share your light.
Sing your song, Rachel. Your children are growing in godliness and love.
Thank you so much, Grandma Trudy. I am crying because I am thankful for your inspiring words for me for the past 29 years. I did not become who I am alone 🙂
Love this! I saw your post on the EKU Alumni Facebook group – love that you’re a fellow Colonel =)
Thank you so much Katie. I am so glad you found me! You can find more at onewiththepastor.blogspot.com
What a blessing this post was to me! I live in Wisconsin and happen to adore the snow, ever since as a child we spent winters sledding, ice skating, skiing and anything with snow. Now I love snow even more after reading this post. The prayer prompts are wonderful. I was part of a bible study years ago where we used the ASK sequence, but never had I thought of introducing it to my son! Thank you!!
thanks Tracey! I am so grateful for your response to this post. We love praying ACTS with our three sons. I also pray with the girls in my youth group this way. it is a great discipline for all seasons. Stay warm this winter! you can find more at onewiththepastor.blogspot.com
Thank you
You are so welcome. Please share these words and pass on the blessings. I hope today you can find the snow. He is faithful in every season.
Loved the idea that “snow covers the dirty, gloomy, dark of winter”, I see that as a metaphor for God covering us and our sins.
Love that you pray with your kids–not many parents do that. You are a good writer and I enjoy reading your posts!
Thank you so much, Beth! I have only been blogging for 4 months now and have been wondering if this is something I should continue to pursue. Thank you for your encouragement. You can find more at onewiththepastor.blogspot.com
Very beautiful.