Friday, February 22, 2013

Lessons in the snow

Hast thou entered the treasuries of the snow, or hast thou seen the treasuries of the hail,
  Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?
Job 38: 22-23
 
So...God has a treasury of snow.
And according to God's Word, He stores snow against the day of battle and war.
How?
When?
Where is this treasury?
Will we get to see it in heaven, or will it be emptied during the Last Battle?

Yesterday this oak leaf ringed snowflake fell on our back deck.
It stood out from others that had fallen as it was clear.
While all snowflakes are born in clouds, some pass through clouds of frozen water molecules that stick to the crystal snowflakes.

The molecules may attach lightly, or may cover the snowflake so that only the flake's shape remains.

Here are a few tiny, tiny flakes that landed without breakage or rime.

Wednesday night when the snow first began to fall it was 42 degrees outside.
Way too warm for snowflake photography; the flakes melted upon contact with the earth.
I kept one eye on the thermometer and another on the flakes.
Most of the flakes were falling as graupel, that is, as fuzzy mini snowballs.
Inside each graupel ball is a crystal snowflake that has been encased in frozen water molecules.
As I watched, I noticed needle shape flakes began to populate the deck's railing where I was watching. They form at around 25-21 degrees F. 
I checked the thermometer.
The temperature was about 28 degrees.
I imagine it was much colder than that just a bit higher up in the sky.
It is so fascinating to me to realize that water molecules are organized by temperatures, and that bit of physical science mystifies scientists.
Why do the molecules make needle shapes at one temperature, and go all lacy doily like at another?

A rimed and nearly melting snowflake.

Rime makes snow beautiful in its own way.
Rime also figures into the way snow layers and according to one website, both helps and hinders avalanche issues, depending on various factors.
 
As I watched the various elements that are part of snowflakes, I had a small sermon preached to my heart.
Each snowflake is created to elegantly reflect light and be utterly transparent.
And yet...should it travel through a cloud that isn't creating snowflakes but is creating frozen water molecules instead, the beauty of the snowflake (at least to the eye) is marred, and possibly made unrecognizable.
The snowflake may arrive and shatter, or may arrive when it is too warm and will melt away instantly.
Or it may manage to journey unmarred, and arrive unseen.
Or it may be seen and noticed.
In the end, all the flakes will pass away into another form; water, or vapor.
Rimed...
Graupel...
Shattered...
Melted...
What do you think your life journey would show?

"He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth'..."

Job 37:6

I believe He sees each flake's journey, and ordains it, just as He does our own.

 

7 comments:

Lorrie said...

This is lovely, Jill, both the snowflakes and the lessons you've taken from it.
Not only does God store up snow, but Psalms talks about the storehouses of wind - love the thought of God opening up the big doors and letting wind out.

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

Marvelous lesson Jill. Perhaps the war he is speaking of is the war against the enemy, fought by the sheer beauty and wonder of these tiny flakes that awake such awe and worship in our souls . . .

Grandma G said...

If only we could get as detailed a glimpse of our own lives as we can of the snowflakes! Maybe we'd be more apt to believe in the beauty of the creations that are called 'us', huh? If God put that much detail into mere snowflakes, just think what He'd do for humans! Unfathomable!!

Once again, awesome photos! I can never tire of looking at them! And great lessons, too. Thank you!

Vee said...

Oh this is wonderful...don't want to even attempt to answer the question, though I imagine most of us have excess baggage. Is that rimed?

Thank you for sharing your private lessons with us and your beautiful photographs.

Kathie said...

Beautiful to look at - getting slightly annoying to shovel (haha!)

Judy said...

Well...you have definitely discovered the treasures of the snow!

Like the snowflakes...we have a Designer that has made each one of us unique and special...and of value.

Lovella ♥ said...

Every week I think of you at church. Our overhead songs are shown against snowflakes much like you have captured. It is just so lovely to remember that God created each and every unique flake.