The downside is that there won't be any snowmen or snow forts built today. It;s not the right kind of snow. You can't even make a snowball out of it much less build a foundation to a snowman or fort. It's pretty much useless except that it looks radiantly pretty until the sun hits it and poof, it's gone.
As Christians, we see and hear a lot of spiritual fluff on Christian radio, TV and and sadly from American pulpits. It sounds pleasant. It's easy to swallow. It challenges us little and affirms us too much. But like the beautiful snow that I found outside my door this morning, it is useless! It will not build any kind of foundation in your life. It will not add to what foundation you already have. It will not add anything to your spirituality. It will be here today and gone tomorrow and you will remain un-helped. When a little north wind blows, that fluffy teaching will run away ahead of it and be gone. It will offer you no protection or shelter.
Fluff will only make you feel full and deceive you into thinking you've been fed. It's empty calories. It's like cotton candy for the soul. Full of calories with no nutritional value. It will leave you feeling sickly and weak.
The ingredients of spiritual fluff are truth, some extra-Biblical material and plain falsehood. Therefore, it is extremely dangerous. There is enough truth in it that it won't slap you in the face with its error, but if put into practice will lead you closer to heresies or at best, leave you the same way you were with no change, maturity or strengthening.
Fluff tells you there is grace without repentance, blessing without obedience, and virtue in weakness. The end result of fluff is vulnerability, a sickly spiritual demeanor, and eventual spiritual death. You will melt away just as the icy fluff did on my flower box.
To be strong, we must have meat and vegetables and fruit. But just eating it will not produce results. We gain strength by eating healthy and exercising with the strength that it provides. Our spiritual life is no different. Sound, Biblical doctrine strengthens us to walk strong in the Lord. Spiritual fluff deceives us into thinking we are strong until it's too late.
That fluffy snow might make great snow ice cream, but when it comes to spirituality, we need to stick to the teaching that throughout history has been the foundation of the church.