Reprieve

Our world was hushed in a blanket freshly fallen snow when I awoke this morning. Sometime in the night the uneasy rhythm of freezing rain on our tin roof, was silenced by its more gentle companion. We awoke enveloped by a peaceful quiet--at least until the children began to stir. Snow means holiday to them, its like Christmas morning all over again, only this time in March. It means holiday to nearly everyone else in our county as well. Even a dusting of snow brings everything to an abrupt halt, a providential pause in our normal routine of hustle and grind. Reprieve. It is a beautiful thing.
It is fitting, as we near the end of the season of Lent, that God would reign us in with such a vivid image of His grace. Though our sins be as scarlet...It is as though Jesus is saying again, "Come away to a quiet place and find some rest." It is the beauty of grace. In our humanity, and rigor of devotion, we try as we might to subdue our flesh, our carnal selves, supposing this to be the purpose of Lent. But in so doing, we mistake the means for the end. At the end of the day we are still dust. Self discipline, is good. There is great gain in godliness as the Scripture says. Fasting and rigors of devotion, help us to grow. However, the end of this growth, is not perfection, as might be measured in human achievement, as much as self awareness and God awareness. Lent forces us to take a hard and honest look at ourselves with all of our frailty and brokenness--the revelation that our sacrifices, our victories only uncover the fact that the greater part of the work is remains undone. In that knowledge, we are finally able to behold the mercy and grace of God. We can hear with more clarity our Savior's gracious invitation, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, I will give you rest." Relax. Pull your chair closer to the fire and let the penetrating warmth of his grace sooth and comfort you. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow.