I never will forget the day - though it's been nearly 15 years now. The month was October and the year was 1995. It's not that I'm smart about dates or have a memory like a steel trap. I remember so vividly becuase I had just begun my tenure as a public educator - and finally had the certificate to prove it. I was flying out of Atlanta, Georgia on my way to Branson, Missouri (through Dallas, Texas - never did understand that flight path). The day was cloudy with wind and rain blasting against the side of the huge 747 I was traveling aboard. We (me and the other 300+ passengers in "economy" coach) were sitting at the end of the runway, waiting for our turn to jet into the sky. The grayness outside was not much different from the grayness I was carrying in my heart.
My mission was not one of pleasure - it was the flight of my life. My Mom - on a "once-in-a-lifetime" family trip with my Dad - had called the evening before from a hospital in Branson. She had somehow collected enough courage to place the call, in which she told me that Daddy had had an apparent heart attack and had been life-flighted to a nearby hospital, barely alive at the time, but holding his own at the moment. You talk about something crashing into you from out of nowhere, I didn't begin to see that one coming. And there I was, sitting on that plane, praying that the captain would "put the pedal to the metal" and get me to my parents, post haste. No, there was no happiness for me on that flight - only tears and raindrops.
The captain finally announced that we had been cleared for take-off, and with tremendous thrust and mounting speed, we took to the darkened and wet skies. I put my head back on the seat, my mind rushing with a thousand worried thoughts.........."Would I get there in time to see my Daddy still alive?.......Would I be of any use or comfort to my frightened Mom?.........Would the light of God's grace ever fall on my family again?" At only 33 years, I didn't have a long track record for dealing with such situations or questions. I was in "no-man's land" without a map or compass.
For some reason, I didn't lower the shade on the window next to my seat. I know now that I wasn't supposed to lower the shade on the window next to my seat, for you see, just moments after take-off, the plane broke through the clouds (nose still pointing upwards in a steep climb) and the brightest sunshine bathed my window, sending out immediate warmth. I sat up in my seat in total shock. I had never before been on the top side of a thunderstorm, and from up there it looked like just a normal day. It occured to me - DUH!!! - that the sun had been shining all along - I just couldn't see it because of the tremendous cloud cover. And that, my friends, is the central thread of this message.
The sun always shines - each and every day. You can count on it - it's a SURE thing. And I'm not just talking about the physical sun that God suspended in the heavens to light our daily path, I'm talking about the sunlight of God's never-ending love. No matter the clouds that darken our skies, the light of God's love continues to shine. It's only through faith and believing that we can "jet" past the cloud cover of our fears and anxieties and sadness to see the ever-shining light of God's love.
This particular trip had a happy ending. I did get to my father's bedside and he survived the ordeal. My Mom and I spent an entire week in that hospital, comforting one another and nursing my Dad back to a point where he was able to fly home to safety and much-needed surgery. But more importantly, God showed His tremendous love for me by sending His never-failing grace to me on a sunbeam.
Are you missing out on the sunshine? Do clouds of doubt and fear threaten to overtake your landscape? Has it been awhile since you've experienced the warmth of God's light in your life? Just remember this: God's love is FOREVER!!!!! His love, His grace, His mercy endure FOREVER!!!!!! You can count on it - it's a SURE thing!!!!!
Selah (סֶלָה )
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