Sonshine On My Shoulders Makes Me Happy

One thing I can guarantee to you about living in North Carolina: on any given day, the temperature can fluctuate from 15-55 within hours. Yesterday at this time, there was a light blanket of snow, mingled with some ice, covering my 'hood. Last night, in the wee hours of the morning, the thunder rolled and the lightning flashed. Meanwhile, sleet poured down, once again covering up my little community, turning the trees and yards and roads into a winter wonderland. And this morning? At a more reasonable hour, the sun shines, the ice is glistening on nature, and the day promises to be more springlike in the early afternoon.

Friends, does this remind you of...you? How much like the weather are we as circumstances around us change quickly? Do we at first not think too much of the cold because hey, don't we all go through certain seasons in life? That's just the way it goes, right? And then, when another event happens to make us burrow more and maybe even prepare for impending doom (such as losing our power), we just kind of sit back and think we've got it all under control and even if something does happen, we'll be okay for a few hours.

Sounds good until...until the distant rolls of thunder are heard. Thinking we must surely need our hearing checked, we ignore them, giving them only a cursory thought, even lightly laughing as we think another storm cannot be brewing in our lives so soon. And then BOOM! The clash of the the thunder shakes our homes. The brilliance of the lightning illuminates the darkness briefly and allows us to catch a glimpse of the chaos and fury going on just outside of our walls. The winds whip and other sounds try to damage our calm. We start to pay more attention; maybe even finding another soul to go snuggle with and get some comfort and assurance from. The storm passes by, the night quiets, and then comes the morning.

Ahh, the morning. The sun begins to shine over the ridge. As it warms, the ice begins to crackle, merrily so. It drips as the coldness is erased by the light that gradually comes to show just who really is in charge here. The skies turn blue and we can't help but gaze upwards, seeking those sparkles and illuminations of the icicles melting and then watching them fall onto the grass that is thawing. It's really quite amazing.

Like winters in our Tarheel State, we too will experience seasons that vary from day to day--and as proven--sometimes within the same day. I'd like to encourage you, friends, to keep watching for the Son. He's still shining although sometimes He lets the clouds roll in and the cold to chill us to remind us that He gives life. He gives love. He changes our hearts, our minds, and our attitudes to make us more like Him. May He melt your sadnesses today with His love, warm your hearts with His Word, and mostly, may He shine through us all today is my prayer.