Dramatic SunriseVan Walton"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete..." James 1:2-4 (NLT)
Devotion:
Have you ever risen early in the morning with one purpose -- to watch the sun rise? I especially like to take time for sunrises, so I purposefully chose to rise early each day during my vacation.
One morning I found myself sitting on the dock facing east, looking for the sun to rise up over the lake.
Another morning I sat on the long veranda of a century-old hotel gazing at the Ohio River, waiting for the golden glow that would announce the sun's arrival.
Days later, toward the end of my trip, I wrapped myself in a heavy blanket and curled up in the glider on the front porch of the cabin where I had spent the night. Peering over the Utah landscape, once again I searched the horizon.
Soon a bright orange blaze appeared, forcing me to close my eyes because of its brilliance. In a few seconds, with wide-opened eyes, I continued my search for the morning's drama, only to see a half globe sitting on top of the mountains. I kept watching, not wanting to miss the spectacular sight. Then, in another blink of an eye, the sun lifted itself from the peaks, and hung there in the sky - a perfect golden circle.
That was it. It went so quick. The sun had come up, creeping into the day, and now it simply dangled -- a yellow ball in the air, surrounded by blue, looking like a child's simple drawing.
For a few minutes I pondered my disenchantment with this particular sunrise. Is there such a thing as an incomplete, imperfect sunrise? At that moment I believed there was. I had just experienced it. And, I remembered others like it, somewhat lackluster.
Why had the sunrise not impressed me this day? Where was all the drama I had expected? Then I realized there is no drama in a sunrise without clouds.
Clouds - they've been given a bum rap, but all along, these predictors of bad weather, these symbols of negativity, sadness, blues, and gloom really serve to expand light, reflect color, cast dazzling rays, and paint incredible scenes in the sky.
A sunrise without clouds is like a life without trials and hardships. I do all I can to avoid challenges and difficulties, but the fact is the so called "clouds" in my life can cast me in a certain aura of God's splendor. A life free of complications and struggles can resemble a bland sunrise ... little contrast, seemingly dull artistry, and little context in which I can reflect the Son.
Truth is, the people I respect and admire most are those whose lives have been filled with "clouds" but they walk through any weather with God. These people walk in splendor, surrounded with a certain attractive and hard-to-capture beauty. They are people I seek out on a regular basis. I pursue them because I want to bask in their glow and confidence. They leave me in awe.
One thing is sure. I'm never disappointed when I find myself in the company of those who have learned to rise up in the midst of clouds. They don't seek to avoid cloudy days; rather they stand up to walk in dignity, accepting the brilliant contrasts and magical rays God can create despite and through their adversity.
It is in their presence I realize, a life free of clouds holds no attraction. Now I see cloudy days in a positive light. May I never shun them again, for I realize clouds build character, add color, and separate the bland from the brilliant.
Power Verses:
1 Peter 1:6-8, "In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (NASB)
These are hard words, yet they are so true. I think of the people who have walked or who are walking right now through big storm clouds with God. They give me hope and reveal God's faithfulness to carry us through any time. I was thinking of that verse in James the other day and considered the fact that if we are called to embrace our trials with great joy, then we should be helping our brothers and sisters do the same in the midst of their trials. That does not mean that we make light of the situation, or that we don't show compassion, grieve with them, or whatever the situation calls for. It does mean, however, that we help them see beyond the worldly view of the situation and lead them to God's truth.
Yesterday was a day that exemplified this devotional. I had the privilege of attending the Celebration of Life service for little Jeremiah Parker Shelby. While there were many tears shed, the end result was a focus on God's faithfulness and goodness. I left encouraged and able to consider the situation with joy - joy in the miracle of Jeremy's hour of life with his parents, joy in the strength that God is displaying through Beth, Aaron and their families, joy that they will one day be reunited with their son, joy in the comfort of the family of God who surrounds us during the hard days- joy in so many things!
