Beauty above the storm

On the ground looking up, the sky was gray and dreary. The forecast was calling for thunderstorms with damage possible from hail and wind gusts. It looked like it could get rough, something every farmer was hurrying to get ahead of. It was supposed to be time for the sunrise, but the clouds kept it hidden from view. We flew up into those clouds, and the pilot warned that we were about to hit some weather. Out the window, all you could see was gray.

But then, we passed through the clouds.

The sky all around was bright blue, the sun shining so brightly that it was almost blinding to look out the window. Below us were those clouds, the ones that seemed so dreary from below. From above, they were thick and fluffy and white, the sun reflecting off them with a brightness seldom seen from the ground. In the midst of the storm it was ugly, but above the storm there was incredible beauty.

It didn't stop with the fluffy clouds, though. We rose higher, and the clouds spread to form a solid blanket beneath us. As strange as it sounds, they almost seemed to be protecting the world below. The radiance with which the sun shone off of that blanket of clouds was unbelievable--I wish I had had my camera with me to capture just a hint of what I saw.

When you're in the midst of a storm, everything is dark and dreary. The Light seems so far away, and beneath the clouds it's easy to wonder if it's still shining.

But above the storm--up there, God's light still shines even brighter than you can imagine. His radiance is blinding, made brighter by its reflection off of the storm.

So hold on--the Son will come again.