Thursday; September 13


           If you live in most of the rest of the county you may have heard about Hurricane Florence, but those of us along the Eastern Seaboard are already well acquainted with her.  After several days of cloudy, rainy weather we are watching the storm’s development and trying to plan accordingly.  Jeane and I seem to be out of the main track of the storm, but we had some travel plans that were taking us into the path of the hurricane so we have been watching that aspect of its impact. 
          Now, the reason for this observation isn’t really about the storm – it is about sunshine.  Yesterday afternoon I walked outside and the sun was shining.  There was a bright blue sky – and I almost missed it!  I have been so focused on lamenting the cloudiness and preparing for the worst that I just about forgot to bask in the glow of a beautiful sunny moment.  Sure, it has been dismal and the forecast is for more of the same, but for that moment it was lovely!
          Do we ever miss out on the good times because we are too focused on the gloom?  Are we so concerned about what has happened or do we spend too much time fearing what might happen that we lose sight of the blessings we can experience here and now?  When we wrestle with those moments, let’s remember the words of the Old Testament poet, “Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done, and Your thoughts toward us; there is none to compare with You.  If I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count.” (Psalm 40:5).   Sure, there are struggles and trials, but if we live in the moment and reflect on the presence of God, we might be able to find at least a little respite in the good times of the moment.
          Think About It!

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