😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace be with you. Last Wednesday was a grey, dreary, rainy day. After dinner Brian and I went for a ride to see how much standing water we had on the parcel of land we’re purchasing. It wasn’t until we arrived back home, and just in time for sunset, that the clouds started breaking up. The beauty of the sun’s rays and the blue of the sky absolutely made me smile. After such a gloomy day, this scene really cheered me up.
Take a moment to observe all the different colors and movement in the clouds. It’s as if you can see the patterns of their movement.
This past week, I listened to a podcast from Matthew Kelly called Finding Joy in a Messy World, in which Matthew discusses the challenge of living a holy life. As I listened to Matthew, I envisioned this picture and the emotions I felt as the sky began to open to the beautiful blue sky and joyous sunset. Matthew was saying how it’s impossible to live a holy life, but holy moments are something within our capabilities. So how in the world did Matthew’s conversation lead me to this picture. Imagine a holy life being represented by a beautiful sunny, bright, blue sky. It’s very desirable, with a feeling of possibility and joy. When the grey, dismal, clouds cast a shadow on our day, it’s easy to feel less joy, possibility, and desire. There really is something to say about the effects of darkness and light on our attitudes, mentalities, and actions. As Matthew continued to talk about choosing to live holy moments and how they make a difference in life and lives, I envisioned the clouds being cotton balls and every time you choose to live out a holy moment it’s like pulling a cotton ball to reveal a small piece of the sunny blue sky. Some brightness appears in the darkness as a ray of light begins to break through. This glimpse of purity carries with it a breath of hope and a desire for more. Which leads you to choose to live another holy moment, pulling another cotton ball cloud to expose a little more of the clarity and hope that lies just on the other side. Unlike a holy life that has no darkness, there will be moments of failure in your future, which will place another cloud in your sky. And there will be the clouds from your past that just seem to blow in unexpectedly from nowhere, dragging with it darkness you thought was long gone. Like that blue sky filled with the sun, our Lord is just beyond those clouds and if you allow the breath of the Holy Spirit to blow in and through your life, you will find that those holy moments with Him will blow the clouds from your life that are concealing the promises He has within your reach. The thing about clouds is…you can reach right through them. Trust in Him, that what you are reaching for is far greater that the fear and darkness that tries to hold you back.
Bless others and be blessed.
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#MatthewKelly – Finding Joy in a Messy World
#JoshBaldwin – Evidence
Third Day Devotions 