“Storms of every sort, torrents, earthquakes, cataclysms, ‘convulsions of nature,’ etc., however mysterious and lawless at first sight they may seem, are only harmonious notes in the song of creation, varied expressions of God’s love.”   John Muir

We’ve had a spell of cloudy, rainy, wet weather for almost a week.  Grey skies tend to put me in a sad state.  When life is covered with clouds, it becomes difficult to put on a happy face.  Even though the songs tell us to let the sunshine in and wipe off the mask of tragedy, we feel so much better when the sun is actually shining on our world.

When clouds hang low and shroud our view of the beautiful blue expanse God provides for our pleasure, it’s like a curtain has divided us from Him for a while.  Maybe that’s why we get sad or depressed on those days.  We need God’s light to shine on us.  We need the warmth of His love for us.  We feel as though we’re being caressed by Him when the sun shines brightly and the skies are blue.

When the earth was formed by God, it was a perfect environment.  A canopy of moisture hung over the world, giving it just the right amount of nurturing.  They never experienced rain until the great flood covered the earth and destroyed all but one family.  I would imagine that once the relationship between God and man was broken by doubt, shame and guilt that dark clouds would have appeared in the sky for the first time.

Many words have been written or expressed referring to grey skies and depression.  I believe they go hand in hand because of our urgency for the beneficial rays of the sun.  In Minnesota we suffer a lack of vitamin D because of the absence of that golden globe in the sky.  Vitamin D deficiency causes things like bone pain, depression, being susceptible to infections and muscle weakness.

We could wrap our troubles in dreams and dream our them away.  We could put on a happy face.  We could find joy in other things besides the weather.  We could look to the source of our joy.  Our God will never let us down.  He provides us with all kinds of weather which will in some way enhance our lives.  Even the thunderous roar of a storm can be perceived as His voice. The drenching rains which seem overbearing at times are feeding the earth with necessary life giving water.  The winds can seem frightening, but they are necessary to dry up the standing water and whisk away broken tree limbs, unnecessary brush and the dirt of every day.

As I sit here this morning composing this blog, the sun has been dancing in and out of the clouds.  I know God is there, even in the shadows.  His light lets me know that.