Dealing with the Clouds of Life

As I occupy my strategic position for my Saturday morning blog write in my recliner so I can see the birds and squirrels square off for the bird feeder on our back porch, I thus reflect on another week God has given my family.  We have had some significant storms with heavy rains this week with moments of majestic sunshine roll through Canton; I love the sheen of sunshine after a heavy rain for the greens are greener and life just seems, well, even better.

 

This week I was reminded yet again that those clouds that roll in, dump their load of wetness on Earth and then roll on is very much a metaphor for life.  I realize we all have different sizes, types and categories of  "clouds" that change the course of our day and thus our lives.  This week has been certainly a week of rolling clouds in my life with an array of unique, challenging, concerning, uplifting, encouraging, enlightening clouds that aggregate at the heart. At that aggregation point I am further reminded that as mere humans without a knowledge of our Creator, we can lull around in frustration, anger, worry and other negatives that will sap the joy of life right out from under us. I choose not to allow that to happen and for those of you that know me you know I am the perpetual optimist so I choose optimism in the reticules of some possible concerns that reside on the horizon.

 

As I was mentally preparing my thoughts for today's blog, I clicked on a icon that opened up comments to previous blogs I had not seen before by many people some of which I know and many of which I do not know. I read the comments of thanking me, telling me how a certain blog touched their lives, how some were challenged to take the next step, etc were words that led me to the context of my blog this morning. As an aside, for those of you that took the time to comment on many of my previous blogs, you honor me and thank you so much! I do believe that feedback is the breakfast of champions ts I encourage you to give me feedback, testimonials for each lifts me to a renewed belief that this journey of blogging does have value for many that read them. I still cannot believe I ever initiated blogging so, now nearly two years hence, I am so glad I have and apparently others are as well. Thank you!

 

Back to the clouds ... as humans we are all frail creatures for that is the natural course of the human existence and the more years we are granted that existence, the toll of aging increases.  For me, at sixty-five years old, yes I have certainly pains where I never did, perhaps cannot jump like I once did but I know I have never been happier with my life in its entire spectrum of characters and events.  Every thing I do I GET TO DO. One of the great blessings of my life is in getting to sing God's praises that lifts so many people.

 

This week with some clouds that rolled in within the family and external to the family, the purity of joy of life itself as a gift from God became again oh so real to me.  When there is concern that can, and will, naturally cause worry and consternation comes to take you in their grip, stepping back, looking up and focusing on what is really important, my God, always chase those demons away. How many times can I testify to that reality!

 

My heart blog this morning is really simple ... never lose faith even when everything in your world may be driving you to do just that.  A quick story which was one of those events of uplift for me, and I had quite a few this week, was that I received a letter from a young man I met in a chapel service in the Stark County Jail just a week ago.  Big, strong, African-American young man comes into the church service at the Jail in the orange jumpsuit. As he enters the door I hand him a Bible and pull him to me and hug him to encourage that  downtrodden young man. I did not know who he was nor what he had done to bring our paths to cross in a jail but I knew that was a special moment. As the church service began and I spoke and sang in preparation for the sermon, I could not take my eyes nor my mind off that young man with nearly fifty others in the chapel. There was something special about him for I have done this work long enough now to have a sense of people in that situation!

 

As the service ended and before the deputies took the inmates away, I had but a couple of minutes with this young man.  Through tears, he began to share his life as a prominent high school athlete, how he knew he had ruined his life and destroyed his family; so many, many times have I watched and listened to stories just like that and I pray I never grow cold or indifferent to them.  As he departed for his cell awaiting his hearing with the grand jury and no doubt prison time, I told him I would stay in touch with him through his journey for I knew that God has a plan for him.  As I do often, when I got home that night I wrote him a letter of encouragement.  Yesterday I had a hand delivered two page letter brought to my home by the Chaplain from this young man.  I asked my wife to read it to me and I felt my heart so turned and touched by the precious words of testimony of God's blessing on his life, regret for bad decisions and how much our time together that night at the jail meant to him; that is why I do this work!

 

In other words, for that young man, God allowed me to be a means to roll back his clouds for a little while.  As my family faces some concerns as all families face, I lift my family to God for His divine touch for the journey ahead and for the unbounded, immeasurable blessings He has bestowed on my family in so many ways.  We have had our five grandchildren with us again this week on Monday and Tuesday and I am always wowed, warmed and worn by the time the return to their parents but the joy of those precious lives and knowing my wife and I are blessed to make memories with these young minds that hopefully they will remember as their lives unfold is a joy beyond measure.  Each of the five are so uniquely different yet they love each other collectively so much; such a blessing to be part of watching them grow and to be part of that phase of their lives. They make me so much better with each visit.  This has been a Monopoly marathon week with the objective being to "beat Poppy" at all cost. I love it!

 

As is usually the case, a song will come to my mind that captures the place of my heart this morning as I conclude this edition.  Read the words of this great song and let the lyrics roll your clouds away:

I Know Who Holds Tomorrow
Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand

I don't know about tomorrow
I just live from day to day
I don't borrow from its sunshine
'Cause the skies might turn to gray
I don't worry over the future
'Cause I know what Jesus said
For today I'll walk beside Him
'Cause He knows what lies ahead

 

Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand

I don’t know about tomorrow

It may bring me poverty

But the One who feeds the sparrow

Is the One who stands by me

And the path that be my portion

May be through the flame or flood

But His presence goes before me

And I’m covered with His blood