Flying Fragments

I really like snow.

I have a favorite reason for liking snow, and it's not the aesthetically pleasing effect it has on my eyes, nor is it the dangerously fun driving conditions it creates, and it's not even the playful aspects of the white stuff.

After icy, bitter cold snow storms like the one we've just had here in New Jersey, rock-hard snow tends to cling to the tops of cars that are parked outside overnight.  Most sensible people will clear the snow that accumulates on the windshield and the rear window, but not many people clear off the ossified snow that clings to the roofs of their automobiles.

And this is wonderful!

Why?

Because when these cars carry these sheets of hard snow on their roofs onto the streets, and especially the highways, plates of this shell begin separating from the tops of these cars and go flying through the air, almost creating the scene of an ice-snow explosion.  If you've ever seen this wonderful phenomenon then you know exactly what I'm talking about.

It's beautiful to see plates of snow go flying through the air.  It really is.  I saw it happen multiple times on the Parkway this morning, and it was not only aesthetically pleasing to my eyes, but it warmed my heart, mind, and even my soul.

This is because in these moments, I see an encouraging reflection of my progress.  The fancy word, I believe, is sanctification.

Before I was captured by God, there really was an icy shell that had formed around me.  I didn't know it at the time, but now as I see parts of this shell flying off of me I know it clearly.

And that's the beauty of it: that shell is really falling apart, and bits, pieces, and plates of it are flying off of me.  I am becoming softer and warmer as my brittle, icy shell loses its grip on me.

I forgot to mention that when I see these icy snow plates flying off of cars, the process tends to be catalyzed by bumps and ditches in the road.  As the cars run over these bumps and ditches, the explosions are sparked.

I am trying to believe and understand that the same is true with my life.  When I encounter these bumps and ditches in the road, I see that these are the places where pieces of my shell are most likely to fly off of me.  Yes, it's not pleasant at the time...I am jarred, stunned, and a bit scared, but afterwards it is great to know that these bumps and ditches were not without their purposes.

Maybe these rough patches really are good.  I know it's easy to say it or to nod your head as you hear it, but to believe it is another thing.  I will admit that I have not yet fully reached the point of believing this, but I think I am slowly getting there.

So, let the bumps and ditches come!  I will try my best to believe, with full earnestness, that once I have passed over them I will see shards of this darned shell flying off into the air in my rear view mirror.  And once I've reached my destination, I am confident that none of this shell will remain, and that those rugged, uneven, and jagged parts of my past will be largely to thank.