A glacier is formed by vast amounts of snow turning into ice as more layers of snow press down on the top or sides of a mountain. As this goes on year after year, a long, deep mass of ice builds up and a glacier is formed. Eventually the great weight of ice begins to slowly move downward, pushing ice, soil and loose rocks ahead of it like a giant bulldozer. Though it doesn’t appear to be moving, it is actually moving very slowly, perhaps only a few inches a day.
A glacier may cover so much area that its lower end could be melting in a warmer part of the land, flowing into a stream or lake. But most often a glacier moves toward the ocean where great chunks break off and float out into the water. These huge floating chunks, many of which weigh thousands of tons or more, are called icebergs.
Masses of glacial ice are often beautiful to look down on from a nearby hillside. People are sometimes tempted to climb a glacier. But that should never be done without a guide’s help, for there are often hidden holes (crevasses) which an inexperienced person might fall into, causing serious injury or even death. Huge caves are often formed too, but these are also dangerous to explore without a guide’s help. What most frequently happens to glaciers, adding to their beauty, is that as the force behind keeps them moving, they break into innumerable chunks of ice — pretty to look at, but dangerous to climb on.
The greatest number of Alaskan glaciers end their journey in the North Pacific Ocean, where warmer salt water splashes against them, breaking off chunks, large and small. This is an example of the wisdom of the Creator, using the melting of glacial ice to add fresh water to keep the oceans of the world from becoming too salty.
Colossians 4:66Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. (Colossians 4:6) says, “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that [you] may know how [you] ought to answer every man.” Just like the ocean is kept from being too salty by having fresh water added to it in different ways, the Lord wants a Christian’s speech to be always with grace (or kindness and love), which is like the fresh water. But it is also to be seasoned with salt, which includes using the truth of the Bible in an appropriate and helpful way for the person you are talking with.
In the next issue we will look at the place icebergs have in the Creator’s plans.
(to be continued)
Messages of God’s Love 9/24/2023