Sunny Days
“…on a cloudless morning…”
Once upon a time, a youth group (and some small children) from a church in Miami went on a daylong excursion, which included a few hours on the beach. I remember clearly because I was there.
It was a beautiful sunny day in South Florida and there were no waves in the ocean. The children and teenagers played in the sand or swam while the adults prepared a delicious lunch.
Good times usually don’t last long, and this day was not the exception. All of a sudden, the sun disappeared behind ominous dark clouds. Darkness, rain, and lightning turned our glorious field trip into a natural disaster.
If someone would ask us what we prefer, most of us would opt to have sunny days filled with peace and joy. Nonetheless, we all know that “bad” days are an integral part of our lives on this earth and that they often surpass the “good” days in intensity and frequency.
Even so, our souls desire sunny days and cloudless mornings. No one in his right mind enjoys suffering, but knowing that God uses grief as an instrument to shape us into the image of his Son will inspire us to master the art of “correct suffering.”
He who suffers correctly can gaze into the dark skies and “see” God beyond the clouds. He, who knows how to suffer in Christ, patiently waits for the eternal sunny day in a heaven full of glory and splendor. That day is coming soon; a day where the sun will be replaced by the Son and sufferings will become extinct in the presence of our Savior.
