This morning as I was driving to church the beauty of the day struck me. The sky was amazingly bright and blue. I found myself thanking God and filled with joy. Along the ride, I began to notice that up ahead were massive gray clouds that appeared as a wall before me. Even though I was surrounded by blue sky, clouds loomed up ahead. As I arrived at my destination, at first glance, I could no longer see the sun. Dark skies appeared to surround me. However, a quick glance over my shoulder would reveal that the brightness of day was still available from a different vantage point.
This stark contrast of light vs. dark got me thinking about our many-faceted lives. We all face joy and heartache. We face victory and defeat. We celebrate and we mourn. Our lives are made up of several opposing experiences and realities. I have found in my own life that in the toughest of battles, I can always find something to be grateful for. Even when things feel hopeless, I can always find the hand of God moving in my life. And even when it seems like darkness is closing in all sides, if I look for it, I can always find the sun.
Today take a minute to think about where you are directing your focus, your energy, and your attention. We can all find the clouds in our lives. But have you taken the time to adjust your lens and your vantage point? Can you see the sun? On a dark day, the sun can be hard to find, but as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. When we direct our focus to even the slightest ray of sunshine we can see in our circumstances, it reminds us that the sun never left. It reminds us that clouds come and go, but the sun remains. It reminds us that however impressive the clouds may appear, the sun is powerful enough to break through the clouds.
Again Jesus spoke to them saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
