July 3, 2007

We were driving home the other night and the moon was especially beautiful that night. It was a soft golden color shining against the velvety blackness of the night. Yet it was a cloudy night and occasionally tiny wisps of clouds would slowly make their way across its surface, almost like lacy fingers.....still allowing the light to shine through them. But then a larger cloud would follow, thicker, heavier, blocking out more of the light. Soon no light would shine through at all. The moon was still there, just darkened by the heaviness of the clouds.

God wants to shine through our lives every day. I have always encouraged my children to be a "light in a dark place". He says that we are not to hide our light under a bushel, but to let it shine for Him. Yet there are times in all of our lives when we allow things to cloud our light. Usually it starts out small, little things that get in between us and Him. He IS our light and we must be close to Him in order for the light to shine through. When we allow things to get in between us, His light becomes dimmer and dimmer.

God has been impressing on me the importance of having an intimate relationship with Him...not casual...not a surface relationship, but a deep relationship that comes only from walking and talking daily with Him. It is so easy to allow the things of the world to interfere with that relationship. We get busy with our lives...too much stuff to DO...and we leave God out. Little fingers of darkness begin to cloud over His light. We have less and less time for Him, for His Word, for conversation with Him. Other things press in. Soon we find that we hear His voice less and less. We do not sense His presence like we once did. The clouds get thicker and the Light gets dimmer. We become dull of hearing and hard of heart.

Yet God has not moved. He gently prods us to return to our first love. He longs for us to make the time for Him. He waits, patiently, longingly for us to come back, to allow Him to brush away the darkness and shine through once again.

This morning as I walked, the sun was breaking through the clouds. Light illuminating the sky, as the clouds rolled away. It will be a sunny day today. No more clouds. No more gray skies. No more darkness.

Today may God shine through to you. Do not let the clouds of business, the tyranny of the urgent, sin, or anything else get between you and the Light. Listen for His still small voice. He is calling your name. As the song IN THE GARDEN so beautifully says "And He walks with me and He talks with me, and tells me I am His own. And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known." He is waiting this morning to walk and talk with you, to be YOUR light and to shine through YOU today. Today may His light illuminate your darkness and may you SHINE, SHINE, SHINE for Him!!