Dark Clouds
Down on the farm it has been raining. And. . .raining and raining. That is a good thing for those of us who llove the forest and can really struggle with problems when it is too dry. The rain brings cloudy, gray, constantly wet everything days, and that begins to affect the way we see life about as much as anything can. Bright, sunny day are few and far between. Add the pandemic, the isolation, the small crowds at Church, and the fear that seems to creep into our thoughts even when we know better, and it becomes a debilitating struggle.
Our little Church is trying hard to keep the virus at bay. But. . .that separates us from one another, and that is a downer, and a pain. When people genuinely llove each other, being together brightens and energizes our times and life. I am sitting, as I write this, in our Pastor’s office waiting for him to make another decision about what precautions to take to protect the people who worship here. He’s kinda lost in the mix of feelings that permeate the congregation – some with no worries and don’t want to mask up and sit apart, and others who don’t want to get close to ANYONE and for everyone to wear a mask – period. (He just asked me if I ever thought about how hard it is to deliver a positive message from Scripture while wearing a mask. Hey, I just work here. I have no answers,)
I fully believe that what is happening right now in our society is a giant push from the Enemy to damage and destroy as much of the power of the Church as possible. Of course, that will only happen if we lose hope, stop trusting, start feeling sorry for ourselves, and fail to grasp the mighty power that is ours through the Spirit of God who resides in us. We are yet to experience any of the persecution that has befallen so many of God’s children from the beginning, and even now in some parts of the World is rampant. We must not lose sight of His presence, His power, His majesty, and His glory. We can overcome the World. . .because He said so (John 16:33)
Maybe we should say to each other – “look for the Son-shine in the dark days, and live in it everyday to the fullest extent possible.”