A Chimney in the fog

I love weather, all the seasons of the year, sunshine, rain, snow. That being said, even I am now tired of rain, rain, and more rain. Fields are large puddles of water. Mud is sticky. I watch other dog walkers. They, like Jack and I, are slogging through, one heavy foot at a time. Oh, for some consistent dry days!

A few mornings ago, I dressed and took Jack out for our first trudging in the rain. Back inside, my hot, steaming mug of coffee cheered me, but when I glanced out the window, all I could see was a pale grey, misty fog. I just stared while letting out a slow sigh of resignation to another day of wet, wet, wet. But wait! What’s that appearing on the rooftop across the road? An object of some sort? Curious, I keep my eyes locked on the object. Suddenly, I see it! I know what it is! A chuckle escapes as I realize my curiosity has captured the sight of a chimney!

As I kept my gaze on the chimney I thought of the verse in Hebrews 12:2 that says, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” I thought of the storms in our lives: storms of uncertainty in what the day will hold, storms of grief when we are hurting over a dear one absent from our lives, storms of anger when an injustice has been done, storms of frustration, disappointment, and fear. Life holds so many storms that churn up the otherwise peaceful waters of our minds. Storms distort our view.

As I kept staring out the window at the chimney, it became clearer. Fog was dissipating around it. It’s the same in our spiritual worlds. As we keep staring at Jesus’s words of hope and direction, His truth comes clearly into view. When we see Jesus through the rains of despair, we see someone who is stronger than our fears, bigger than our dashed dreams, able to overcome our grief with His own peace. We may not recognize Him at first, as the thick fog of melancholy distorts our view, but keep looking. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Look to Him. His love for you will penetrate and shine strong through any pain this world hurls at us. David said it so well in Psalm 40:1-3, “I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what He has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.”

May the light of Jesus shine clearly in the foggiest of your days. Keep looking at Him until He comes into view. Then bask in the light of His love for you.