A bit of a diversion today. Recently, my husband and I enjoyed an R and R in Gulf Shores, Alabama—a fond memory as I sit here in 8 inches of snow. One day, as I sat in our 9th floor condo, I gazed out the window at the gently rolling waves of the gulf. The deep blue water reflected the clear blue sky above. Of course this allowed the sun to shine totally unobstructed.
It was one of those gorgeous mornings that stops you in your tracks to see God’s wonderful creation. Waves flowed in smooth layers to the shore. As soon as one wave bubbled up the beach, another came right behind it—and another, and another, reminding me anew of God’s unending faithfulness.
But it was the sun that caught my attention most. Through the clear sky, the sun cast a brilliant beam across the water. The beam’s pathway sparkled as though a thousand diamonds were bouncing on its surface. What a sight to behold! This scene inspired a little ditty.
What a happy day, said the diamond on the sea
The sun is shinning brightly to reveal the likes of me
I dance across the water with all my friends around
We sparkle and we glitter but never make a sound
We only come to life in the sunbeam, you see
Then we go a diamond dancing all across the sea
The next morning I opened the drapes anticipating the same beautiful scene. But the water looked more gray than blue.You could hardly tell where the water ended and the sky began. Heavy clouds had blocked the rays of the sun. No beam. No sparkles. Disappointment.
I always look for a lesson to be found in even the tiniest of life’s experiences, so I reflected on a few verses in James which describe our Father (represented by the sun.)
17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere. (sparkling!) James 3:17
The clouds of our behavior diminish the brilliance of His purity—clouds of:
1 …fights and quarrels… 3 …wrong motives… 4 …friendship with the world… James 4:1-4
How do we remove the clouds?
6 …desire the Spirit… 7 …submit to God… resist the devil… 8 Draw near to God… cleanse your hands… purify your hearts… 10 Humble yourselves… James 4:6-10
Two contrasting days—one beautiful, bright, and cheerful, the other foggy, gray, and dismal. We have days like that, don’t we? Nothing seems right, no beauty, challenges at every turn. May we all draw near to Him and resist the clouds that Satan would put over our heads.
As you pray today, draw near to Him, cry out for a renewed spirit, plead for clean hands and a pure heart. And on this snowy day, find a closet to clean out, a game to play, a book you’ve wanted to read. Sparkle!
Next week, we’ll take a walk by another sea—the Sea of Galilee.
~ Joyce ~
Wow, Joyce! This is just what I need to read today. Thank you for your inspiring words.
Thanks, Doris. I hope you will find some way to “sparkle” today. I’ve been cleaning off book shelves, throwing away stuff, and transferring books to the storage room. Now I’m sitting in my clean office with no dust bunnies. I guess that’s the closest I’ve come to sparkling today!
Beautiful!
Thanks, Janet. Hope you’re keeping warm.
We are headed to Naples Florida this Saturday. I’d appreciate prayers on safe travel! :). I’m taking my iPad to keep up. I will be seeing some of what you described.
Are you sure you want to miss all this beautiful snow? Enjoy the warm weather.
Amen Joyce. As I pack and clean I am in prayer for abundance of the Spirit!
Packing can be so stressful. I read a little devotional on stress the other day. It had an acrostic with about five points. I only remember the first one with a “B” that meant “Breathe.” The phrase that went with this one stuck in my mind and I thought about it for days. “Inhale God’s peace and exhale anxiety.” That’s it. Very simple. I went around inhaling deeply, thinking “inhale God’s peace,” then I would purposely exhale,, thinking “exhale anxiety.” Try it!
Hey Joyce. Liked the sparkle story & poem. And yes we have to take the grey days as well as the bright ones. I always think back to what my precious Ryan said one day several months ago we were sitting in the van eating lunch, was pouring rain & he said what pretty day & I said but RYAN it’s raining & gloomy he then said but Nan it doesn’t matter. Life is good. I look at gloomy days differently now.
Oh, Ann, thanks for sharing. I love this story. Ryan always tells it like it is. Truly, with our Savior, life is good.