Friday, April 5, 2013

Sunshine


 
 
The sun is out again today.  It’s been going in and out of the clouds all morning, but every time it breaks through, my heart feels encouraged. 

Rainy day, yesterday.  I mean, ALL DAY LONG.  Normally, I like the rain – I love the sounds and smells the rain conjures up.  And I like to eat, so rain brings help to our farmers as well as a promise of a beautiful Spring.  Yesterday, however, I wasn’t feeling the love for the rain so much. I had errands to run, and am getting ready for a craft show next weekend, so I have 7 days to create as much as I possibly can.  Gloomy, cloudy, blah days do not help.  I felt listless, unproductive and a little frustrated. 

What a difference a day makes!  Sometimes I just have to resolve that one day may not be my most stellar day, and to try again tomorrow. I’m not going to dwell on what I didn’t get done yesterday; I will make a new game plan today and do my best today.  Our walk with Christ is like that.  Sometimes we don’t have the best day – we feel frustrated because of missed opportunities or wasted chances.  Perhaps we acted in an ungodly way and feel the guilt and shame of our choices.  In Lamentations 3:22-23, the prophet Jeremiah writes: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.” 

I have often wondered – what would consume us? The wrath of God? The fire of Hell?  But reading it today in the light of the ray of sun and a different interpretation, I realized that God keeps us from being consumed by what can and will cripple us mentally and spiritually, as well. Guilty, frustration, shame, discouragement, helplessness – these things (among others) will consume our minds, our thoughts and our time. We can focus so much on the failures of yesterday that we fail to make the most of today.  But God doesn’t want that for us.  Just like the sun rose this morning and gave me a new hope, a fresh perspective and an eagerness to see what can be accomplished today, God’s love and compassions are new and refreshed every morning, ready to shine their light into our lives. 

You don’t have to be consumed today with whatever threatens to bring you down!  Choose to let the joy, love, compassion and faithfulness of the Lord deliver you from the doldrums.  Let his sun (and Son!) shine down on you today! 

Love you all!  J

No comments:

Post a Comment