Whiter than snow

OK, I'm back from my blogacation and ready to roll.

Two days over freezing in a row, and we are finally rid of last week's 5-inch snow dump -- except for those lingering piles in the parking lots, of course.

But the snow reminded me of one of the many metaphors Christians like to throw around ... whiter than snow.

The origin of the phrase comes from Psalm 51:7b: "... wash me. and I will be whiter than snow." And I'll bet more than a few of you out there remember singing the hymn of the same name that determined to drive its point home with the chorus: "Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow. Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." OK, got it.

I even have one of those "salvation bracelets" hanging in my car. You know the ones with a black bead for sin, red for Jesus' blood, white for washing away our sins, green for growth and gold for heaven?

But unfortunately, our beautiful metaphors don't allow for carrying out a complete comparison. Because while our hearts can be washed whiter than snow, like the piles in the parking lot, they don't stay that way.

Once the snow has stopped falling, the pure white coating begins to fade under the tread of boots, the pushing of shovels and snow plows. As time passes, the snow fades into slush and those piles in the parking lot display specks of dirt.

In fact, today a wise 5-year-old asked me, "Daddy, why is the snow rotten?"

And the same question could be asked of our hearts, once whiter than snow, now specked with the dirt of life and sin and struggle. But the good news that unlike the snow, which ultimately fades completely away, our hearts can be purified again and restored to the whiteness they previously knew -- a sort of miniature resurrection until the ultimate day of resurrection when they will be permanently pure.

Just a few verses later in Psalm 51:10, David writes these words: "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."