I love watching the sky, looking at weather radar, looking at the forecast, predicting the forecast. I love it. Husband says I should have been a meteorologist. I say, I AM! So many times we can get so busy that we never look up. The sky is so untouched by man. It's like it is God's canvas everyday that He decides what it will look like.
We moved into our current home 2 years ago. Where we lived the 11 years before we could not see the sunset. Here we see the sun set every night. It captures us. Often one of us will holler for the others to run to the window or outside and look at the sun setting. Sometimes there are colors in it that remind me of Heaven because they are not familiar to me here on earth. When I look at sun sets the only thing I can think of is GOD!
So over the years I've realized something. Sunsets are WAY more beautiful when it is a cloudy day. Have you noticed that? It's true. The patterns of the clouds, the shadows, the reflections, the drama!
This morning I saw the clouds in a way I have never ever witnessed before. It took me and my son Robert back! We just stared in amazement. WOW. The clouds were draping in a way that looked like....well I don't know! I cannot describe it. I took a photo, but they never do the real sky justice (just like watching online church or a video never conveys the Presence of the Holy Spirit the same as if you are there).
This is what our sky looked like this morning!
When I was looking at the beauty of the sky God spoke to my heart that often times the most beauty in life is found in the midst of clouds. In life when we are going through hard times and feel hidden by gloominess and such, the way we respond to the circumstances and to God can be more beautiful than ever. And the scars in our life from past battles fought only paint a more unique and radiant sky for others to be blessed by. It is not in our perfection that others see Christ, but in our weaknesses when we gain our strength from Him.
Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
The older I get the more I dread flying but I still enjoy one part...going above the clouds. Once we went up through dark dreary clouds and once we got above them the sun shone so brightly everyone had to lower their shades. I glanced back down to land and noticed the dreadful looking storm clouds. I just thought that everyone down there is only seeing the bad but up here it is still so beautiful. So I teach my kids that no matter what it looks like to us, when we see life from God's grand perspective above it never changes. He is still the same. He is still shining brightly in our lives, even when the storms of life hide our perfect view. It's then when we have to live by faith...knowing that the SON is still shining even though more difficult to see!
There is a song that is popular on Christian radio right now called Blessings by Laura Story.
We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things
We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe
When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home
Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the achings of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise
It reminds me of the part in Francis Chan's book Crazy Love where he talks about how we pray for protection like it is the greatest thing. But what we should really pray for is for God to use us and our lives so greatly that our protection isn't our greatest concern.
Really, who says that the perfect life is a protected one. Who says that perfection is living a long life? Who says that perfection is complete health without tragedy. The fact of life is that bad things happen. To everyone. One day that will no longer be the case. But tragedy and tears will not be avoided in life by any of us. But who says that has to ruin the day...ruin our lives?? The sunset of our lives can be breathtakingly beautiful if we allow God to take our scars and fears and tragedies and pain and shine through us.
If you look at Jesus or his disciples' lives, did they have it easy? Are we to assume that our lives will be easy and free of pain just because we deserve it as God's children? I don't think comfort is God's best for us. We don't learn until we make mistakes usually. We usually aren't grateful for what we have until it is taken away. We are futile men and God is sovereign and holy and omnipotent. We just have to TRUST that He is working it out for our good....
Romans 8:28
The Message (MSG)
26-28Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
No matter what the Son is always shining. Do you believe that? If we do then we will be thankful in every season of our life.
12 Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. 13 Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world. 1 Peter 4:12-19
Other songs of interest: Bring It On by Steven Curtis Chapman and Praise You In this Storm by Casting Crowns. Love them.
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