Shushh... listen... God is talking!!! ( The Spiritual Significance Of Snow)
Everything in Nature speaks to us. It now depends on how spiritually attentive we are; how faithful and how objective we are at interpreting revelations without prejudice...
THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF SNOW
SNOW: a precipitation in the form of ice crystals, mainly of intricately branched, hexagonal form and often agglomerated into snowflakes, formed directly from the freezing of the water vapor in the air. (dictionary.com)
To some, SNOW creates a feeling of quietitude, tranquility and peace. Purity, cleanliness, and divine presence. Even romance💕 and Christmas 🎄🎄
And to some, it means
•Plenty (stored water for agricultural purpose)
•Plenty (stored water for agricultural purpose)
•Recreation (skiing, snowboarding, skating etc)
To others, it's a sign of doom and hopelessness. Monotony and despair.
•Failure or incapacitation (at warfront).
•Impediments (transportation)
•Failure or incapacitation (at warfront).
•Impediments (transportation)
•Destruction (to public infrastructure: utility lines; roof ice dams etc)
•Death ( of season; sun; and crops)
•Death ( of season; sun; and crops)
Whatever it means to us, objectivity must not be lost.
SNOW is made up of heavenly materials(water vapor) and earthly materials(dusts, minerals and other microscopic particles in the air). Thus, SNOW seems half heaven and half earth. The kiss of the divine and the mundane.. -(Meaningfullife.com). Purity and dirt mixed together. Saints and sinners entwined. Good and bad co-existing. Blessings and adversities. Light and darkness. Obscurity and revelation. Yin and yang.
In Chinese philosophy, Yin and yang or yin yang describe how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another... -(en.m.wikipedia.org)
These co-existence of positivities and negativities may seem unreasonable but how do you realize something is positive if you have never tasted negativity?! How do you know light if you have never witnessed darkness....
If we had no winter , the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome! ......-(GeniusQuotes.com)
Black, darkness, death, ill-health, adversity, pain, etc exist so that we can realize and appreciate our blessings; how bountiful God's grace and mercy are; and be thankful for them. How gracious God is on the one hand and how potent His wrath could be on the other hand.
Also, the two opposing particles present in SNOW: I guess is telling us the spiritual recognition of the co-existence of the good and the bad. Seems God actually recognized the sinners too. He doesn't want segregation, discrimination or judgement. Seems the.... commandment "thou shalt not judge" is exemplified here.
Thou shalt not judge, because thou hast screwed up before too😀😀😀.... -(www.pinterest.com)
Don't judge someone just because they sin differently than you... -(unknown)
"Don't judge people. You never know the kind of battle they are fighting." -(anonymous)
Seems He wants the saints to encompass the sinners with love and understanding, display AGAPE and the essence of Godliness and faithfulness. And also, to lead with examples. These in turn will definitely shake them up and bring them back to God. But well, who's that Saint nowadays?
Water in all its forms is a symbol of divine knowledge. It's "falling" represents the transmission of knowledge from the Divine to the earth. The flow of wisdom from the teacher to the student... -(meaningfullife.com)
Water flowing downward thus describes God's way of transmitting His energy to us and represents the conduit through which our material existence and God interact. The purpose of existence is to create unity between God and man, so that we, in our limited, material existence can become integrated and unified in an intimate and equal relationship with God.... -(meaningfullife.com)
There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy-drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.... -(library.timelesstruths.org)
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy-drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.... -(library.timelesstruths.org)
Let the power of the Lord come down...
Let the power of the Lord come...
Let the power of the Lord from heaven come down...
Let the power of the Lord come down... -(ghospelyrics.com)
Let the power of the Lord come...
Let the power of the Lord from heaven come down...
Let the power of the Lord come down... -(ghospelyrics.com)
Can we manage/handle the might of the showers/power??? 😀😀😀
The strength of the supplicant/precant cannot manage/handle it.... When his wishes/prayers/supplications are finally fully granted. -(yorubaproverbs.com)
SNOW is an intermediate transitional state (between fluid water and solid ice) which allows the flow (Divine wisdom) to descend lightly so that it will not be overwhelming unlike rain that represents the "continual flow" from the divine, which carries the risk of overwhelming and submerging the recipients without leaving a space for any other existence (Remember Noah (PBUH), his ark and the 40 days downpour). And ice, a compact and solid form of water which freezes the "flow" and makes the Divine wisdom easier for humans to understand... This brings us to the second spiritual significance of SNOW.
SNOW, in its own way, signifies the thoughtfulness and faithfulness of God; His steadfast love and His omnipresence. Knowledge (Divine wisdom and also goodness etc) abounds in Him. Its ceaseless flow (fluid water) can easily annihilate human existence if unchecked (by SNOW and ice). One can easily deduce from the kind of transmission SNOW is that God hasn't forgotten nor forsaken us.He uses snow to re-affirm that we are of prime concern in His activities and He has got pre-arrangements for all His creatures.
God works powerfully but for the most part
Gently and gradually... -John Newton Quotes
-(ChristianQuotes.info)
SNOW, in its own way, signifies the thoughtfulness and faithfulness of God; His steadfast love and His omnipresence. Knowledge (Divine wisdom and also goodness etc) abounds in Him. Its ceaseless flow (fluid water) can easily annihilate human existence if unchecked (by SNOW and ice). One can easily deduce from the kind of transmission SNOW is that God hasn't forgotten nor forsaken us.He uses snow to re-affirm that we are of prime concern in His activities and He has got pre-arrangements for all His creatures.
God works powerfully but for the most part
Gently and gradually... -John Newton Quotes
-(ChristianQuotes.info)
When the tyrants seem to be getting all the grace and mercy at a stretch/time unending, the down-troddens tend to lose hope. It's not that God is one-sided. He is giving him (the tyrant) timeless opportunity maybe he would have a change of mind... It's another way of manifesting His faithfulness and grace to humanity, good or bad. It's now left for this tyrant to realize himself on time before its too late... For when the day of reckoning eventually arrives, there will be no way out for him as he had already exhausted all the grace sufficient even for a whole lifetime. And that day, the oppressed, overwhelmed by HIS potency, will sympathise with him (the tyrant). But alas, it's too late.....
The gradual transmission (SNOW) of the Divine message (new ideas) makes assimilation easy for the recipient (student) without the risk of getting overwhelmed and drowned (in the case of unceasing rainfall). This is symbolic in impacting knowledge. And thus, we arrived at the third significance of SNOW: how best to inculcate/instil knowledge and wisdom (TEACHING).
When a teacher has to reach out to a student who is far beneath his or her level of knowledge and understanding, he or she cannot allow the water (the message) to just flow freely. It has to be paced. In order for the student to understand a new concept, the teacher needs to create a point of reference by using examples, anecdotes, stories, and analogies.
Snowflakes represent the need to explain gradually, step by step, in a language that is accessible to the student. Snow falls gently and silently, teaching us in our own process of educating ourselves, that we need gentleness. If we educate with a sledgehammer -- with unceasing rain pour -- it will simply submerge and destroy the crops.... -(meaningfullife.com)
SNOW creates a "wonderland" atmosphere. It evokes a feeling of tranquility, peace and purity. The serenity is very attractive. It covers the landscape and all its impurities. It acts as a great equalizer: IT'S FOURTH SIGNIFICANCE.
No matter how big the building, or the car, whether a Lexus or a Hyundai, they are all covered equally by the SNOW... -(meaningfullife.com)
Snow is a leveler. It covers everything it encounters equally. It's not bias or partial. In its own way, it emphasizes the equality of humanbeings irrespective of class or affluence. It discourages favoritism, tribalism, nepotism, prejudice, discrimination, inequity etc.
Besides SNOW and every other natural phenomenon, God Himself speaks to us directly and these speeches are very vivid. They just hit you especially when you are quietly unexpecting. And especially that time when all else had failed and despair had set in. It now depends on how spiritually attentive we are; how faithful; how patient; and how gracefilled we are at interpreting revelations without prejudice.
Nowadays, God seems so far away. And it is becoming difficult to hear from him; difficult to decipher the source of revelations, their meanings and their purposes. But God hasn't moved! Defaulting is human! It is our day to day activities that's severing our strength in faith; destroying our objectivity and robbing us of divine goodwill.
Patience again is a virtue in jeopardy now. But the reward is heavenly. All in God's time can bring about the "change" we're all craving for. Greed, selfishness, self-aggrandizement and self-perpetuation are all signs of faithlessness.
Wealth, affluence, knowledge, wisdom etc are not distributed evenly among human beings. Naturally... Not because some are more deserving or that some are unworthy. No! But nature provided/made available/encouraged the attitudes of sharing and giving as a way to equally spread wealth and goodwill among human beings by human beings. These two attitudes tend to reduce excessiveness and wastage on one side and insufficiency and suffering on the other side. Thereby removing totally the pains of poverty, rejection and their attendant ills/menace.
Let the weak say I am strong
Let the poor say I am rich
Because of work the Lord has done (sharing and giving)
For us.... Give thanks
Let the poor say I am rich
Because of work the Lord has done (sharing and giving)
For us.... Give thanks
The uneven distribution of these natural endowments are also expected to encourage human inter-dependency, social integration and togetherness.
Is there any that can boast of being fully self-sufficient and satisfied? Seems non! Had nature wanted us to be fully self-sufficient, maybe hermaphrodism would be the order and not something to repel. We would have Single sex beings. Life advancement/furtherance/continuity wouldn't depend on the fusion of male and female gametes
And also, nobody is outrightly unuseful 😀😀. Everyone on earth was created with/for a purpose. One just needs to reach inward and discover one's purpose. The quests for wealth and riches have robbed many of this feat and the subsequent inner peace. Discovering one's purpose changes one from an ordinary self to somebody (someone of significance). This way, one tends to be useful to self, to God and the world at a whole.
We are created in a way that we can easily complement one another. (I'm too emotional and philosophical, my sister is hot-headed and reckless. There are frictions but yet our home would have turned out a bore😀😀. That's if one of us is fully indulged. But with my sister, sparks superabound and so is the sisterhood).
Differences, multiplicity and shortcomings are some of the characteristics of living beings. And we are expected to co-exist in a way that celebrates these qualities.
We are not created this way for discrimination, stigmatisation and rejection to thrive. But sadly, these three have taken over the place originally reserved for love, togetherness and sharing (godliness).
Remember SNOW: God is steadfast in His love for us despite our differences and shortcomings. Despite our class in the society; despite our own share of the wealth; despite our backgrounds and our antecedents; despite our attitudes; despite our bright and dark sides (yin and yang).......
THEE that created a YOU, that created a ME, that created all: He is GOD.... trust in Him alone. He is in control. He will make a way no matter what. Let go and let God. No matter who/what we are; no matter wherever we may be, we are winners with God. A little faith and in a matter of days, we will start basking peacefully in his glory.
So anytime you are disturbed; anytime you're in pain; you're heartbroken; you are lonely; you are scared; you want to make a decision; you want to start something new or stop something old; you want to go further or you want to stop going at all 😀😀😀 etc. Stop the fretting, stop the agitation, stop the strive; stop the stress; the argument; stop the fight; the grief; stop the tears....Cool down, relax, read, rest, jog, take a walk, (with your mind open, free and true)....
And then...
Shush... Listen... To you, our God; your God.... Will Talk!!!
BLOGGER'S NOTE
I live in the tropics... Hence, little knowledge about SNOW initially. After rendering this creamy jewel and the photograph came up, one look at it inspired a snowy terrain. It geared me into researching what SNOW really signifies: The rationale behind snow. I saw so many write-ups. Some very technical and some too eastern or Jewish for the essence of this blog: simplicity (ease of understanding), objectivity and succour. Stationarypilgrim.wordpress.com provided a very soft landing for me. Meaningfullife.com led me through a more spiritual stance. Thanks to them both.
Probably because of the inexperience in SNOW and it's negativities here in the tropics, the philosophical me sees only the glorious side. Not the destructive; not the obstructive, nor the recreational perspective do I see it from. But that calm, peaceful, spiritual, meditating feeling. That feeling you have when you encounter a spiritual landmark/ Nature's glory. That calm feeling... Maybe it wouldn't be so had I actually encountered it's other side before. Well, can't say at the moment😀😀.
What is more important is the objectivity in our perception without prejudice. God's glory abounds in you, in me and all His creatures.
BLOGGER'S NOTE
I live in the tropics... Hence, little knowledge about SNOW initially. After rendering this creamy jewel and the photograph came up, one look at it inspired a snowy terrain. It geared me into researching what SNOW really signifies: The rationale behind snow. I saw so many write-ups. Some very technical and some too eastern or Jewish for the essence of this blog: simplicity (ease of understanding), objectivity and succour. Stationarypilgrim.wordpress.com provided a very soft landing for me. Meaningfullife.com led me through a more spiritual stance. Thanks to them both.
Probably because of the inexperience in SNOW and it's negativities here in the tropics, the philosophical me sees only the glorious side. Not the destructive; not the obstructive, nor the recreational perspective do I see it from. But that calm, peaceful, spiritual, meditating feeling. That feeling you have when you encounter a spiritual landmark/ Nature's glory. That calm feeling... Maybe it wouldn't be so had I actually encountered it's other side before. Well, can't say at the moment😀😀.
What is more important is the objectivity in our perception without prejudice. God's glory abounds in you, in me and all His creatures.
"The heavens declare the glory of God...
The skies proclaim the work
Of His hands." -(LiveRenewed.com)
You were made to reflect God's glory....
Fulfill your destiny!
From this endeavor, I realized some of
these significances of SNOW:
•How two opposing forces can co-exist peacefully and complementarily.
•The presence of good in bad and vice versa
•Recognizing and managing our differences
•Togetherness against discrimination and stigmatisation
•The steadfast love and faithfulness of God
•Godliness, God's glory, His might and His omnipotency
•The essence of Sharing and giving
•The recognition of grace/blessings and showing appreciation for them
•How best to inculcate/instil knowledge and wisdom successfully (teaching)
•The equality of humanbeings irrespective of class or affluence.
•The purity of creation
•The quest for purpose against the quest for wealth/affluence
THESE ARE SOME OF THE PURPOSES OF SNOW. WHAT'S YOURS???
Seeing God in everything is one way of appreciating God's glory. Nothing is 100% good and nothing is 100% bad. There's good in bad and vice versa. There's no cloud without a silver lining: every disappointment is a blessing in disguise. One has to remove the disguise first to see the blessings embedded. We need focus and objectivity in such situations. And God's grace too.
At the first rendering, the first two significances were discussed and it was done in a way that fits in with instagram space stipulation. But while trying to adjust the write-up for a blog post, I went back to researching it, then the third and the fourth significances just came up. ......
References:
www.meaningfullife.com
stationarypilgrim.wordpress.com
tvtropes.org
Photo credits
@delicieux_dei
these significances of SNOW:
•How two opposing forces can co-exist peacefully and complementarily.
•The presence of good in bad and vice versa
•Recognizing and managing our differences
•Togetherness against discrimination and stigmatisation
•The steadfast love and faithfulness of God
•Godliness, God's glory, His might and His omnipotency
•The essence of Sharing and giving
•The recognition of grace/blessings and showing appreciation for them
•How best to inculcate/instil knowledge and wisdom successfully (teaching)
•The equality of humanbeings irrespective of class or affluence.
•The purity of creation
•The quest for purpose against the quest for wealth/affluence
THESE ARE SOME OF THE PURPOSES OF SNOW. WHAT'S YOURS???
Seeing God in everything is one way of appreciating God's glory. Nothing is 100% good and nothing is 100% bad. There's good in bad and vice versa. There's no cloud without a silver lining: every disappointment is a blessing in disguise. One has to remove the disguise first to see the blessings embedded. We need focus and objectivity in such situations. And God's grace too.
At the first rendering, the first two significances were discussed and it was done in a way that fits in with instagram space stipulation. But while trying to adjust the write-up for a blog post, I went back to researching it, then the third and the fourth significances just came up. ......
References:
www.meaningfullife.com
stationarypilgrim.wordpress.com
tvtropes.org
Photo credits
@delicieux_dei
@creams_andcorals
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