Photo ©2020 and Commentary ©2025 by Chuck Davis
Monday, June 9, 2025
Snowflake Lake has a surface area less than two acres in size. Its nearest neighbor, Big Snow Lake, is more than fourteen acres. Snow Lake, one of the most popular hiking destinations near Seattle, is 153 acres. Snowflake Lake is so small that one might call it a pond. The beauty of its surroundings and the clarity of its water, however, rightly place it among the more than seven hundred lakes that make up the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.
The remote location and lack of an established trail ensure the pristine beauty of this location. Large Snow Lake draws a thousand visitors on a nice Saturday or Sunday. Tiny Snowflake Lake entertains fewer than fifty in a summer. This contrast is the basis for today’s photo parable.
“As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on” (Luke 21:1-4 NIV).
I am drawn to Snowflake Lake not for its size but for its beauty. Likewise, we remember the widow for the beauty of her character and her devotion to God. She gave with purpose, intending to give all she had to God.