As seen in the previous post, Tolkien placed snow on Middle Earth as a gift from Illuvatar, using the evil Melkor's bitter cold to create something of beauty and grace. And there is much truth to it- God does bring good out of evil. But is snow good? These days, it seems only children understand and love the snow. The expectation of it, and the excitement when at last it comes is lovely to see in a young child. How many blissful hours did we ourselves spend in the snow? Feeling its powdery-ness, forming it into shapes, rolling in it, sledding on it, and of course, tasting it?
But as we grow older, we are taught that snow is the enemy. It is bothersome, always in the way, dangerous, and worst of all, unpredictable. We want to predict and ordain all that happens in our lives, and one snow can disrupt our plans for perhaps as long as a week! "Unsufferable!" we cry. In many circles, it is considered a four-letter word. It is my opinion that when a person commences hating snow, he has reached the point (regrettably) of considering himself an adult.
I was watching NBC after the Olympics one night, and was very upset to see that during the weather report (which was already extremely derogatory towards the subject of snow), clips of ugly old bulldozers pushing huge mounds of snow into obsolete corners of parking lots were shown, as well as close-ups of said ravaged snow, all gray and slushy from the onslaught. That was when I knew that snow had been demonized by the media, and consequently, by the general (adult) public.
I am writing in all seriousness and gravity. Though I am not against snow removal (on the contrary, I am extremely grateful to snowplowmen everywhere) I think that the attitude we take towards snow can tell us much about ourselves. Snow, ultimately, comes from God (Who obviously controls the weather). If we complain about it, we complain against His Will, which wills good for all Creation. That is very serious. We prefer our wills (that it not snow) to His (that it snow), which is the very nature of sin. Again, it shows that we want to be in control of everything, rather than accepting God's supreme Rule over All.
I agree with Tolkien. Snow is beautiful, adding grace to the otherwise forlorn and barren trees, and blanketing the otherwise brown and dreary earth with its soft white wool. Can you imagine a winter without snow? How awfully dreary and dull it would be!
In the Bible, snow is mentioned quite a bit, and is usually referred to as something clean, white, pure, and desirable. In Psalm 51, snow is mentioned in verse seven: 'Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.' Isaiah 1: 18 reads: 'Come now, and let us reason together saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be like crimson, they shall be as wool.' According to Mark 9:3, here is an account of Jesus' transfiguration: 'And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as not fuller on earth can white them.' And again, according to Matthew, when the Lord rose from the dead: 'his countenance was like lightning, and his raiment as white as snow.' Apparently, snow is the whitest, purest thing that biblical writers are able to refer to, and rightly so. Snow is beautifully soft, pure, and white, and should fill every soul with wonderment at the goodness of God, Who causes it to snow on the just and the unjust, however undeserving they may be.
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