Snow on the Just and Unjust

Why are blessings and disasters shared by everyone? In City of God Augustine gives his reasons for this in Book I chapter 8. He writes that is the mercy of the one who "makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." (Matthew 5:45) I would add that snow could be included. I look out the window and see that snow has covered everything outside. Regardless of who you are, if you live around me you have around 4 inches of snow. School children and teachers see snow as a wonderful treat and people who must go to work regardless of the weather see snow as a burden and great inconvenience. Depending upon who you are this snow is either very good or very bad. This is the point that Augustine made about blessings and disasters. What mattered was the person not the action. He made some wonderful illustrations about this. He wrote that "the fire which makes gold shine makes chaff smoke." Suffering in the life of a believer can strengthen their relationship with Christ and leave them better than they were before the suffering. In the life of an unbeliever suffering can sometimes show them their helplessness and lead them to Christ. Likewise, suffering can reveal that a person has no relationship with Christ when they search for relief in the wrong places. Augustine ended the chapter with another illustration writing that "Stir a cesspit, and a foul stench arises; stir a perfume and a delightful fragrance ascends. But the movement is identical." This can point out the stark difference between believers and unbelievers. You can be a cesspit or a perfume. Since the difference is in the people, not the action suffering or blessing can cause the same thing. In unbelievers' lives (cesspits) both suffering and blessing can deepen sin and heap condemnation upon themselves. In believers' lives (perfume) both suffering and blessing can deepen the relationship with Christ and reveal God's grace and mercy more clearly. I think that the question we need to answer is not why things happen a certain way but am I a cesspit or a perfume. What is great is that God is continuing to change cesspits into perfume. Another lesson I should learn is that when stuff happens to me I should make sure that what comes from me does not appear to come from a cesspit.