I am in awe of the beauty of nature. As I look at the clouds today I see the sun trying to peak through them. The breeze comes and goes with intermittent rain and all the while the sun keeps trying to shine brightly. Then briefly some bright light shines through and then as quickly as it breaks through the dark clouds it is covered again. Life can be a lot like that. Some days are cloudy with sprinkles of rain while others can be filled with the sun.
Sometimes life throws us a sucker punch and it may knock the wind out of you. That’s when the clouds seem the darkest and I either turn to the “Son” and seek his protection or I think I can handle it on my own. The latter never works out all that well. However it seems that for most christians when life is cloudy and rainy we can turn to the son “Jesus” quickly and ask for his help. But when life is going well, our finances are being met easily, life seems to be giving me all sorts of sunshine I can forget to stop and say Thank you to the “son” who is responsible for the goodness. I have asked myself why is it so easy to stay close to Jesus when life sucks and sometimes forget to stay close when life is good. I know that there will be valleys and mountain tops. You can’t have a mountaintop with out going through the valley. Therefore I can’t grow and mature in my christian walk if I don’t see the valley as a time to learn and grow.
If someone would of asked me back in 2018 what my plan was for the next few years, being a widow and leaving behind a whole life certainly would not have been what I picked. Little did I know that life would throw me a huge sucker punch and throw me in to a valley I had not expected. But that is what life does. It can be a job loss, unexpected career change, divorce, separation, an empty nest time, becoming ill, and so many other things. If one can recognize that with each of these comes a period of grief then maneuvering through that valley can be a bit more tolerable. Especially if you hold on to the Lord while going through it. That is the only way I have made it this far because I believe and know in my heart that Jesus Christ is always at my side. He is my rock, my fortress and my provider, through him I can do all things.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4)
So for today my plan is to see the goodness all around me, to feel the divine peace that comes from Jesus. That even as I traverse through this season of grief I can feel the love and guidance of my savior. To give myself permission when I have those moments of happiness and joy because it doesn’t mean I have forgotten or love Tom any less. It means I am learning to let go of the pain and sorrow because I do believe Tom would never want me to live a life filled with pain. Also that is not what Jesus wants for my life.
“For I know that plans I have for you,- declares the Lord- plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
God always keeps his promises.
I pray that I hold on to the hand of Jesus always, so that I can see the blessings and miracles he has planned for my life. Even when it seems like I am in the wilderness I am not alone. It may not turn out the way I expected but through out my life I have seen how his plan is always better than what I could have imagined. I humbly thank him for all the blessings I have received and those yet to come.
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Renee,
You are so right when you said that when LIFE is rolling along smoothly we tend to forget our LORD, as the sun is shining ! But as soon as the clouds roll in we seek the LORD . I like to think as our SON is always shining even though the clouds are obscuring the sun ! Just think what Our lives would be like if all we lived were all valleys & or all peaks . I agree w your thoughts that the LORD gives us valleys & peaksto make us stronger & appreciate that he places valleys
before us , so that we can be strong enough to reach the peaks which he also places before us for our goals . I want to say that if we keep in mind that the SON is always shining even though We can not see the SUN for the clouds it will Brighten up our DAY and keep us mind full of who the SON really is and what the SON really does for us ! I HOPE all this makes sense BLESSINGS.
Joe, yes I totally understood your comment. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts
This post is right on target for me. Thank you Holy Spirit for using you to write these inspiring words. I feel as though God is taking me through a wilderness season right now. Sometimes I feel as though He calls us into a season of wilderness so He can get a hold on us. In our day to day life it can be filled with so many distractions that we may slip into putting God in 2nd place or maybe in 3rd place, when He really should be #1. During this season I feel called to just let my Heavenly Father pour into me & getting still before Him and to listen. I need this wildreness eventhough it may get lonesome & hard, because He is pulling me away from alot of things I attached myself too. God is using this wilderness to refine us, to mold us, & to sharpen us into the true diamonds that we are.
You are so right about how we can forget to put God 1st always. The distractions each day can often take our focus off where it really needs to be. thank you for your comment and know that as you walk through this season of your life staying close to the Lord and knowing you will come out of the wilderness more refined and closer to his image. God bless and peace of Christ be with you.