When I was a young girl, I took my first trip on an airplane. In those days, there were no TSA security lines. Airports had observation decks outside where you could watch the airplanes come and go even if you weren’t traveling. And (believe it or not) being on an airplane was such a special occasion that people got dressed up for it. All in all, flying was an enjoyable part of one’s trip.
For all those reasons, my first flight was an exciting adventure. But it was what I saw from my airplane window that left an indelible mark on my memory. It was a dark and cloudy day when we started our journey. I remember that only because when our plane ascended above the clouds, the sun was shining brightly! I was young enough that I had no idea that was going to happen. It made such an impression that I can still picture it clearly in my mind after all these years. Not only was the sunlight beautiful, but the clouds stretched out like snow covered hills beneath me. It looked like I could walk on them, and I pictured myself doing just that. It was the greatest panorama that I had ever seen. As I grew up and learned about the weather, I understood what I saw, but that never dampened the excitement of that experience.
When dark clouds overshadow the skies, and all we’ve ever done was live on the ground below them, we may not know that the sun is shining brightly above them. We may think that those storm clouds are all that’s there. But when we are able to soar above them, we can see the brilliant light that was shining all along. The clouds may have obscured it from our view, but they didn’t diminish it in any way. From the ground, storm clouds are dark, grey, and foreboding. But from the sky, they are dazzling white and inviting.
Over the years that view from my plane window has helped me through many difficult situations. Why? Because it was a real-life reminder that no matter how dark and thick the clouds are, the light is still shining.
Sometimes the clouds of doubt and fear hang drearily over our lives. If all we know is life below those clouds, our eyes might get so acclimatized to the shadows that we accept them as ‘just the way things are’. We might not be aware that the glorious light of God’s deliverance is shining just beyond them. But when (like the pilot who flew me above the clouds) someone shows us God’s light, we begin to learn that we don’t need to be limited by the shadows anymore. We can rise above those clouds of doubt and fear into the wonderful light of God’s liberty.
My mind picture helps me, not only because I saw the brightness of the sun, but also the beauty of the clouds. When we rise above the clouds of doubt and fear into God’s beautiful light, it changes our perspective. We see that the storm clouds of life are not so threatening, that they are no match for God’s light. Those clouds no longer need to overshadow our lives. They can be like hills we cross on our life’s journey – maybe a little hard to climb sometimes, but the view from the top is always spectacular.
God’s light is always shining no matter how dark and dense the clouds are. No matter how ominous the impending storm looks, God’s light is greater. So much of life is conditioned by our viewpoint. Why not set our sights high above the clouds of doubt and fear? Why not allow the glorious light of God to illuminate our souls? Why not expect to soar on the beautiful side of the clouds instead of cowering below them?
With God, all things are possible.
Note to my readers: Enjoy your flight! Thanks for reading.