Tuesday Morning Sunrise and Sunshine

Any of us who have kids grow up in the house the last 30 years remember Fred Rogers, of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, singing his welcome song, "Its a beautiful day in the neighborhood..."

This morning on Long Island, after the soaking we got yesterday, the sun is shining brightly, the winds have died down and once again in January, our usual coldest month, there is a sense of spring all around.

There are many songs that have been written around the theme of sunshine, both love songs and worship songs. Do you recall these:

Oh there's sunshine in my soul today... for Jesus is my Light...

or how about

Climb, climb up sunshine mountain, face is all alglow...

or

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine...

Something struck me years ago and yet I fell back into the "darkness" as I wrote these opening lines... in the midst of the pouring gray day yesterday- the sun was still shining! Its rays were simply obstructed by the clouds! Duh! See how easy it is to think things that are not correct and draw wrong conclusions? At least it is easy for me!

Sunday we shared the Word about how Jacob lamented, "Everything is against me!"
Of course it was not. It just seemed that way. In a short while there was going to be a family reunion, Jacob was going to find out his son Joseph was not only alive but he was well and in charge of Egypt. He and his sons and their families were going to be spared from the famine in the land! Jacob was going to watch his son forgive his brothers and prove it by his actions! I just wrote to a friend earlier today, III John 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Isn't amazing how we can easliy see the clouds and conclude the sun is not shining?! Even more how much like the children of Israel I can be, who had God working miracles one moment, and then began to stress over the future in the next moment.

The sun is shining today! The Son of God reigns!
Lord, open our eyes so we can see!