Don't spoil the sunshine

"Oh look," I excitedly exclaimed, "It's such a pretty sunshiny day." We'd been having a huge amount of rain in my general area. Fields and streets were flooded, and on occasion it literally rained almost every day. We even experienced a storm or two. All these forces of nature had knocked on our doors and walked right in.

On the day when I was enjoying the warmth, birds singing and beautiful scenery, my husband and I were driving to one of our destinations. "It going to rain again, though," my husband, the person who steadily keeps a scrupulous eye on the weather, said. "Just look at those black clouds hovering over there. The rain's moving in."

Although I'm normally a cheery person, this small comment caused a touch of anger to rise within me, and I said, "But it may not rain all. Don't spoil the sunshine by worrying about the rain. Let's just enjoy the clear weather and the beauty of summer without thinking of what may come."

After making this statement, I pondered what I had said. Life is lived according to that same principle. One ought to take the good as it comes and appreciate the fact that it's there. If we concern ourselves with the future, we will never absorb the pleasure, beauty and awesomeness of what is -- what we are a part of, now.

You can always find something on which to focus to mar what's happening presently. I would much rather look for what's uplifting when things are bad. When one concentrates on that which is beautiful, and the comfort that is always available to us offered by God, nothing can spoil our mood or hope. Matthew 6:34 tells us, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." By tomorrow, I believe it can be applied to hours or even minutes, days or half days.

If you're too concerned about what may follow, you will worry all the time. You will feel anxious even when your life is going well -- your health is good, family is thriving and, in general, you're having a great period in your life. Nevertheless, one can always be anxious about what is going to appear to spoil it. When you are too focused on what may happen, you miss the golden opportunities that are available now. We spoil our present happiness rooted in sunshine, by worrying about when the clouds will come, and then turn to rain or storms. Rain and storms can be a thing of beauty too. Often we feel we're receiving too much rain and too many storms within our emotional and physical lives, but we will always struggle with the storms of life at some point. They may be of our own making, or a misconception of what is. It's then we have to realize that God wants us to keep moving forward, not backward. He wants us to be brave and unafraid -- to see sunlight rather than panic -- and remember that He is always with us. As writer Laurie Sennott states, "Every flower must grow through dirt."

We can see the sunshine within whatever happens, by remembering that everything happens for a reason. Romans 8:28 reminds us, "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose." I find that passage to be most encouraging. If one looks at his life and the way things have fallen into place, one step at a time, he realizes that if it weren't for every stride he took, he wouldn't be the same person today, nor would his circumstances be the same.

When you see or experience the beauty of a good thing, savor every morsel of it. Refuse to allow yourself to see the clouds that may be lurking in the background. Keep moving towards the light.