Rembering the Snow Day

Recently, I realized that the kids we serve at Collins Family Ministries might never know the simple joy of a snow day like my generation did. When I was growing up, just hearing a snow forecast was almost as exciting as Christmas. I would go to bed early, hoping that even a little snow in Oconee County, SC, would mean school was canceled the next day.

Snow Days Then

In the 1970s, a snow day meant running to the window and then checking the TV to see if school was closed. Even if there was no snow, we still hoped for a day off because of the Oconee Mountains. I enjoyed school, but I loved having a day off. Making snow cream, sledding in the backyard, and warming up by the woodstove made those days memorable.

Snow Days Now

This January, we’ve had several winter weekends in a row. For most of us, it’s only been a minor inconvenience. Churches have used technology to keep services going, schools have switched to e-learning, and many people now work from home. These changes are normal now, but I wonder if they help us as much as we think.

What We Might Be Missing

We’re all thankful for the technology that lets us do these things at home, but it’s not the same as it used to be. I wonder what we miss by not taking a real break. Maybe we’re losing chances to reconnect with family, go sledding, warm up by the fire, or simply have a good conversation.

Family and Substitutes

At Collins, we work hard to give children and at-risk youth a family-like environment. We try to create a home and show them what family can be, but the truth is, Collins can never fully take the place of their own families. We can come close, but we can’t truly replace them.

The Original

The truth is nothing can ever fully take the place of the original. Times like these remind me of that. 1 John 4:10 says that Jesus is the “propitiation for our sin.” This means He paid the sin debt we couldn’t. His love is pure and true and goes far beyond anything we could offer as a substitute.