Clouds

Have you ever boarded a plane in cloudy and rainy weather, then experienced the wonder of flying through the clouds to the sunny weather above? I have. It's amazing. One minute you can't see very well with rain saturating everything,

the next you are in wonderland of puffy white clouds that look like marshmallows with the warm sun beating on your face.

Sometimes it's hard, when we are on the ground, to remember that the clouds are temporary and the sun is still shining up there above the clouds.

Here's a good reminder I received recently from the book Life Principles from the Prophets of the Old Testament: "God promises to "love us freely." God never ceases to love us, but our sins can keep us from experiencing His love. The sun always shines, but the clouds can sometimes keep us from experiencing the benefits of the sun. In the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15), the father never stopped loving the son, but when the son left home, he was no longer able to experience the benefits of that fatherly love."

The more we confront and confess our sins and let God work in our lives, the more clearly we will experience His blessings.

God gives abundant blessing after sincere repentance. Daily, even moment by moment, we must make a choice between two options: rebel and turn against God or turn toward Him and follow Him. One brings more stumbling and heartache, one brings joy and blessing. Too often I choose the former. But I'm so thankful that "it's never too late to return to Him!

From Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing:

Oh, to grace how great a debtor

Daily I’m constrained to be;

Let that grace now like a fetter

Bind my wandering heart to Thee:

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;

Prone to leave the God I love.

Here’s my heart, oh, take and seal it,

Seal it for Thy courts above.