Haphazard, Unpredictable, and Beautiful

The last of the last snow is melting outside my window today. Or at least that's what we think and hope. Beacause, you know, it's spring in Minnesota. While weather here is always unpredictable, spring seems to behave most like a wild child: doing whatever it wants, whenever.

Last week we thought the same thing. "All this snow is going away for good, and it is warm out, and summer is practically here." I was listening to rain patter against the roof last Tuesday, enjoying the sound again. What I didn't hear was mother nature laughing at all of us forgetful fools. A few hours later the snow came again.

And last week Facebook was full of complaints: "Not again!" "It's supposed to be spring." I even joined in with the mostly good natured complaints and exasperation of my associates. We obviously knew—had insider knowledge—how weather should work. Obviously God must be a little detached from this gathering of humanity living on the fringe of the tundra.

What struck me in the face of all the bucking and shivering and dodging, was how beautiful it all was. Perhaps it happened walking through the fresh snowfall lit on fire Wednesday afternoon by a bright sun, with lingering flakes drifting earthward. Or maybe it was a bright, moonlit night, walking over crunchy ice and snow.

I can't get away from it: God is speaking. In rain and snow, in the warm breeze and frigid morning air, in sunlight, and under clouds, I hear the whisper, the speaking, the shouting, the frantic screaming. "This is my Father's world." "He speaks to me everywhere." Right now clouds are flying past my house. And every cloud is a word, saying "Glory"—each written in a unique font.

What struck me recently is how constant God speech is. Morning by morning, night by night. Do I know what language he will speak next? No. But he speaks not only in rustling grass, but raindrops splashing against vinyl siding too. Every morning he send the sun out like a chariot. He proclaims the Lord's blessing and his patience. Spring marks his faithful governing of the seasons, and the renewal of life. And it is good to wake up today, and be alive, as long as this is my Father's world.

This helps me to understand the crooked and twisted lines in my own life as well. If God can declare his glory through the vast and varied panorama of nature, then he will be glorified in  my life. Whatever comes. And if he speaks blessing through all of life, he will always do good to me. Since I see his faithfulness all around, I surely can't doubt his faithfulness to me. As he writes beauty with many elegant words, I trust that he is writing beauty in me.