snowflakes in hot water

As I was sitting in the hot tub yesterday it was snowing hard. Monstrous flakes vanished the moment they hit the water surface. Or so I thought. Then I sat stiller and watched closer. Maybe that way Moses did when he saw the bush burning. And I noticed something more: each flake didn’t just vanish into the water. It took a moment to melt as it sank into the water, looking like a tiny puff of smoke before it disappeared entirely. I watched in fascination as one flake after another gave its little puff. The sound of the pump bumped me out of my reflection and motion of the water stopped further observation of this delicate phenomenon. It reminded me of the necessity to be in prayer and the Word before concerns of the day block out those wonderful observations that only happen in silence and solitude, and happy noise of a family froths over the still quiet voice of God. Never a command but certainly a wise and rewarded practice, this time of reflection in the morning…