By Lilly Lewin
As the air turns crisp and winter edges closer, I find myself watching the sky with that quiet hope that snow might arrive any day—an unexpected grace that invites us to slow down and listen for God in the hush.
As a Southerner, I get really excited about snow! Snow days have always been some of my favorite days. A snow day reminds us of our need to find joy in the interruptions of life. And our need to take time to rest and play. Snow days are a gift, an invitation from God to pause, rest, and play!
I believe that our entire culture needs a snow day to rediscover a bit of sabbath instead of busyness. And we need to recapture and reconnect with childlike wonder and the beauty of snowfall. I believe we all need snow days, regardless of our age! They are gifts from God!
What does a snow day mean to you?
Do you frantically look for the gloves and the snow shovel and feel the weight of the mess and interruption of your day, or does a snow day invoke wonder and a sense of fun? What might help you receive the gift of the snow day rather than just see the mess and interruption? What would help you see a snow day as an INVITATION from Jesus to be with Him and find joy, wonder and a bit of peace again?
I wrote this about snow days a few years back:
Snow Day
When it comes to snow, I’m a little kid.
I love it!
I get excited just thinking about snow.
And it really hasn’t been winter until it snows.
I love the expectation
I love the quietness of snowfall
The entire world is slowed down by even an inch.
Snow magically changes the landscape from grey and ugly,
Lifeless and forlorn,
To a world of wonder and adventure.
A world of pristine white
Clean, holy, covered in purity. (at least until the dog pees!)
Even snow flurries make me smile.
It’s the hope of snow!
It’s the romance of snow!The possibilities of snow days…off school and sleeping late.
The possibility of a fire in the fireplace and hot chocolate
And spiced tea.
It’s the hope of enough snow for a good snowman…
or better yet
enough for sledding!
When it comes to snow, I’m just a little kid!
Where’s my new sled?…I’m ready to take the hill.
And even at 40, I still do!
What does a snow day mean to you these days? How is it different from when you were a kid? How did you experience a snow day when you were younger? Did you get outside as soon as possible, or did you have to do more chores and make sure animals were safe or sidewalks were cleared? Did you find joy in a snow day?
We can all choose to open the gift of a snow day with God…
The wonder.
The beauty.
The quiet.
The break in the normal routine.
We can receive the snow day as an opportunity to rest, reset and just be a kid, or be with a kid or two. Snow days remind us that life can stop and just be still. That we need time to just be! Time to read a book, make some hot chocolate and look out the window. A snow day is an invitation from Jesus to pause, rest and be. And it’s an invitation to be a kid again.
Should you find yourself on a day where snow has yet to make an appearance, you can still use this as a gentle invitation to pause with your kids to play and rest.
Two Snow Day Practices to Try
A Snowy Walk
Bundle up and step outside for a slow, snowy walk. Our Snowy Walk audio guide will lead you in a reflective walk, using all your senses and noticing God’s loving presence in the winter world around you. You can take this walk on your own or invite children, grandchildren, or a neighbor to join you—sometimes experiencing it yourself first makes it even more meaningful to share.
Open the Gift of Joy and Play on a Snow Day
Rather than doing extra chores or more paperwork on a snow day, choose to do something that will bring you joy and help you open the gift of play. You decide if you need rest or more playtime. Receive that snow day gift of rest!
If you live alone, plan who you can invite over to join you in this practice. Grandparents, it’s a great time to include your grandkids.
Choose one or two practices to do on the next snow day:
- Turn off the phone for the day.
- Make some snow angels.
- Make snow ice cream.
- Go sledding or ice skating.
- If you have a fireplace, make a fire and share stories about your favorite snow memories as a kid.
- Read a book. Consider reading “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” by C. S. Lewis. It is a great book to read out loud as a family.
- Work a puzzle.
- Play cards.
- Listen to music together.
- Bake something to share with your neighbors.
- Read and/or watch The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats on YouTube.
- Grab your shovels and help clear a neighbor’s driveway.
- Grab your sled and invite some kids to join you. (Having an extra sled is a great way to meet your neighbors!)
- If it’s too cold to go out, bake something yummy and share it with a neighbor or two.
- Make some soup and share it.
- Make a bird feeder.
- Put the phone away and read or tell stories out loud as a family.
- Act out your favorite snow day or winter memory. Or play charades.
- Take time to thank God for the beauty of the snow, and for the sense of wonder it creates!
- Take time to just rest, be and breathe with no agenda.
What would a snow day with God look like? How can we find joy in our everyday worlds? How can we make time for play?
How can we take time to rest and restore? Maybe it’s time to have a snow day even if it’s not snowing where you are!
Maybe it’s time for a day just to enjoy the world that God has created!
Here’s to having a snow day with God!
About Lilly Lewin: Lilly is a worship curator, speaker, author, artist, and founder of thinplaceNASHVILLE, and freerangeworship.com. She creates sacred space prayer experiences and leads workshops and retreats across the country and beyond. Her passion is to help people of all ages engage God using all their senses and bring art and artists back to church. She is a big fan of Instagram (@lillylewin), writes a weekly blog post called freerangefriday at godspacelight.com, leads Finding Your Thinplace pilgrimages and creates resources for worship at freerangeworship.com. Lilly and her husband, Rob, live in Nashville, TN, where she’s on the lookout for good coffee, dark chocolate and the best place to watch the sun set. Lilly serves on the Youthfront Christian parenting and caregiving resource team.
