The sun is out this morning. When I arose, my bedroom was bathed in sunlight. It penetrated my room and opened my eyes. I had to smile. It’s been storming over my spiritual life for the past two weeks so any hint at sunshine makes me happy. So, this morning, I got up, got dressed, and put on my praise music. I had myself a good ole time praising the Lord this morning.

I listened to Fred Hammond talk about Joshua and the walls of Jericho. I listened to lyrics that sung of His faithfulness to the children of men. I listened and I worshipped as I sung along with full awareness of how wonderful our God is. He has done marvelous things – praise the Lord!

So, I enter this day, with a song in my heart and sunshine on my face! Amen! The sun is out!

Outside my window, it’s foggy. The soupy kind. Visibility is limited this morning. The forecasters are all calling for travelers to really take it easy on the highways until the fog lifts. They are encouraging careful driving and patience as to avoid any accidents.

As I listened to the forecast, I began to see my past two weeks as foggy. The soupy kind. My visibility into what was happening and what was going on was limited. And, my spirit was urging me to really take it easy as I walked down this valley. My family and prayer partners encouraged me to take everything step by step as to avoid any accidents in my walk with the Lord. They told me to not be too hasty or impatient but to put up the umbrella of my faith and weather this storm. That’s what I did, and that’s what I’m doing.

The storm winds are yet blowing. It’s like one of those inclement weather seasons where the winds whip and roar, and if you are unfortunate enough to get caught up in them, even when you make it back to safety, you look and feel battered and torn.

The good thing about storms is that they are temporary. Sure, they hang on for longer than we’d like, but they are still temporary. The storm will blow over. It has too. And many times, after downpours of wind and rain, the sun comes out. A rainbow appears. And, that’s worth waiting for.

I’m encouraged. My soul is anchored in the Lord. You be encouraged too that no matter what you’re going through, our God is able to bring us through it all.

Grief is a funny creature. I know – grief and funny really don’t belong in the same sentence. But, sometimes I think that maybe they do. You see, yesterday, grief hit me upon the news that my friend would be taken off of life support. It hit me while driving to work. It hit me while telling my prayer partners AT work. (Thank God for prayer partners on the job). It hit me when I was preparing to take food to the family. But, when I got to the house and saw the truck that would never again be driven by my friend; when I walked past the couch where my friend would always find his perfect position on the couch; when I walked through the house and he wasn’t there, my grief took on a new level. But, I didn’t cry. I didn’t fall back into the activities of earlier that day where my eyes could find no dry place. Instead, I began to reflect on the good times. The good Lord flooded me with memories – which were funny and made me laugh out loud. And before long, we were all laughing. Grief is indeed a funny creature.

I’m thankful that we got an opportunity to share memories and laugh amongst ourselves last night. Because I am confident that the days to come will be much tougher. I am confident that at times, in that house, the occupants will find no rest and grief will not be as kind. I am confident that in the still and quiet moments, when friends and family resume their normal activities, that there will be weeping and sorrow. But even more than that, I am confident that God is near, and He will stay close surrounding that family with His love and His protection. He will be their midnight companion. He will be the One that they turn to. He will be the One that will soothe their hearts during this time. They are walking through the valley right now but I rest assured in knowing that God is able to keep them and He will do just that.

I know that this has not been a fun and frilly two-weeks at my blog, but it’s not been a fun and frilly two-weeks in this faith walk for me. Life is like that sometimes. But, please continue to drop in on me and I really do appreciate your responses and emails. The storms winds are still blowing, but this one thing I know - God is with me. And just like my friend’s family, He will never leave me nor forsake me. I find peace in that knowing, even in the midst of this storm. Even still, I praise Him!

Have a great weekend!