The Lessons of the Gray Days

Wow, isn't it true that you don't know how much you've missed the sun until it comes out again after days of cloudiness, rain and gloom?

I was born and raised in Panama, a country of perpetual heat and sunshine.  It does rain, of course! But most likely, the sun comes right back out after a thunderous "aguacero" or rainstorm.  My hometown is particularly dry.  So, it rains less, and the sun shines more.  Therefore, when I was a young person, I never, rally had a chance to miss the sun.  It was a given.  We don't get to experience much of the long, gray, rainy days of Western PA down in my hometown. So, when I got here, a million years ago...I was...how shall I put it nicely? Surprised, when I would see days without end full of gloom and nothing but clouds in the sky.

Where's the blue? I would ask myself..."if I could just see the blue skies...sigh..."

But, no...when we get the grays...it's never just one day..."I miss the rays!"

There is one thing, though...when you are used to the sun always shining...how do you really know it is actually shining?

Isn't it amazing how nature mirrors life?  God would have it that we could see the cycles of life and the perfect balance of His design in what surrounds us: His creation!  The same way we don't get to miss the sun when we always have it, we don't get to realize our desperate need for His presence and the reality of His arm always around us until we face difficulties in life.  The same way that cloudy, rainy, yuky days help us appreciate the sun when it shines again, troubles in our walk remind us that the best place to be is under the shadow of His wings.

This morning, after days of gray, I looked out the window and I saw the glorious blue skies, painted with shades of white, and the light of the sun reflecting all around, and my soul jumped for joy!  I don't think I never truly experienced the joy of sunshine while I had it plenty back in Panama.  On the contrary, I used to complain it was too hot and the sun too bright...here, however...when I see the sunshine, I feel blessed and my heart is filled with thanksgiving!  Glory to God who makes everything worth the wait!

That's what God's perfect design is supposed to show us: the need for balance in our lives.

Next time I am going through a difficulty in my life...I pray I remember the lesson of the gloomy day:  the clouds come in as a reminder that the sun is right behind, and that He never leaves us.  He is just teaching us to depend on Him and to appreciate Him with all we've got!  The clouds are a sign of balance in nature, and a symbol of God's love and desire for balance in our lives as well.