My husband and youngest son went out last night to take pictures of the Sunset. The Sun had been virtually absent from our lives for 17 straight days here, that’s a record. My emotions had been spiraling slowly down, down, down, as if flushed because of the lack of Sunshine. I have seen enough clouds lately to make me wish to see none for a very long time. But when they came back from taking pictures of the Sunset, I asked to see them, and my husband said, “There’s really nothing there. No clouds were there, so the Sun just went down and that’s it.” I didn’t think much about it. I just went on doing what I was busy with. But this morning his words came back to me, and with them, a deeper meaning. I am sitting here, watching the Sun reflect on the trees outside my window for the first morning in 17 days. It is a sight that nearly makes me cry, for I have missed it so. And yet, I cannot help but realize that without some clouds, the Sun has no surface to reflect on in the sky. Those clouds create the backdrop for so much glory and color in any Sunrise or Sunset. And so it is in our own lives. The clouds are our struggles, trials, and imperfections. The Sun is God’s Word and Work in our lives. We reflect His Glory and Color best, to an on-looking world, in the midst of our Clouds. We must struggle because they struggle. How can we ever help or relate to a hurting world, if our worlds are flawless? It is how we handle our struggles that cause the shimmering light and reflections that create the beauty and splendor in the sunsets of our lives. Do we really trust God? Do we really believe He will work all things together for the good of those who love Him and trust that they are called according to His purpose? (Romans 8:28) I am asking this question of myself this morning, more than I am asking you. But it is a good question. And it is causing me to alter my feelings toward the struggles I face right now.
Lord, make my life a beautiful reflection of your faithfulness, grace and lovingkindness to a world looking on. Let me be the Glory in the Sunset for them, that points to the God that loves them. As a lamppost lighting the path to Jesus, let many find this path through my life. In Jesus Name…Amen
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