White

There's a scripture in Alma that says, "The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator." I have put this to the test in the past and found that it's true. But tonight I was impressed with that fact without even trying.

The world is covered in white. It looks clean and pure and without spot. The Hebrew word for the Atonement is "kaper" meaning "a covering." The snow is like a covering for the earth, the cold before the renewal of spring, the rebirth, the life that comes again after the dark and the freezing. The white also reminds me of the resurrection; the glorious white and light that I'm sure accompanied the Savior home to his Father. The snow comes after the red leaves burn the mountains red, after the death of the leaves. It's like the earth continues in the cycle of Christ's life. Birth every spring, crucifixion every fall.

But I love the image of the snow and the atonement. When it snows, the world can't get dark, not fully. Everything reflects the light, beaming it around and making the nights seem only dim. The atonement brings a light into our lives. The light is reflected in everything we do, making our nights seem bright.

I am grateful for the reminders all around me that point my thoughts toward He who created me.