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Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

 You have set your glory in the heavens!

Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold

Against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

When I consider the heavens, the work of your fingers,

The moon and the stars, which you have set in place.

What is mankind that you are mindful of them,

Or human beings that you care for them?

~  Psalm 8: 1- 4

 

Greetings dear Sister!

Everyone in the Rochester area really appreciates a big blue sky! We seem to have more energy and our spirits are lifted when the sun is shining on us! Did you ever wonder why that is so?

Of course there are scientific proofs of why sunshine is good for our bodies’ well-being, but you can Google that for yourself. I’d like to consider the spiritual goodness of sunshine with you! I hope you’re sitting by a window while you’re reading this so you can take a look outside every once in a while!

Did you ever notice how little children delight in nature? Every stick or stone is a treasure! Sand, dirt and water make new worlds of which they are master! Do you remember laying in the grass and picking out images in the clouds? Or perhaps picking “wild flowers” (some more or less ‘wild’ than others) for a grown up you loved?

You can see why this would shut the mouth of the enemy (who cannot create); children playing in the light, delighting in the sunshine, glorifying God in their play as they handle (and sometimes taste) God’s creation! 

My children are grown now, but I still take pleasure in the sunny spot in my kitchen! As I write this from my table, the sun is streaming in in all it’s glory and Nutmeg is laying in a sunny patch at my feet. (on my feet actually). I can see and delight in my daffodils just beginning to pop and swaying in the breeze. The empty bird feeder is rocking gently from the clothesline that if I were more ambitious would have sheets hanging from it to capture that sweet fresh air scent.

 These are simple, common observations, yet at the same time they are uncommonly majestic! Our God is a God of Light! He created light and divided it from the darkness with us, humankind in mind! He created the breeze that makes the daffodils dance! He created those rocks and sticks, water and everything that grows! Even as we grow older, we need to stop once in a while and consider God’s work of the heavens!

In fact, practically all of Rochester shut down to consider exactly that last April 8th! Maybe it wasn’t quite the spiritual experience many were hoping it would be, but as I watched for that which I could not see, I saw other events of the eclipse that I might not have noticed if I had had a clear view of the moon passing before the sun! Not having the dark glasses on, I was able to observe the majesty of the fast moving twilight turning to early night and its effect on the clouds that were obscuring ‘the big event’. The birds found their nests & quieted, the air cooled and a stillness seemed to come over the earth for a few minutes. Then, a new dawn! Darkness turning back to day! The sun bringing warmth and light, even through the clouds! It was like a new day beginning!

It made me feel like I had a fresh start on the day! It also reminded me that, in my walk with the Lord, even though there may be clouds, even though I may not always see the way clearly, the Lord’s light and warmth is always with me, keeping me kept!

The Psalmist asked, “What is mankind that you are mindful of him, or human beings that you care for them?” We seem so insignificant when you consider the heavens and all that God has created! Yet, every moment of every day, His creation reminds us that we are never alone! That’s how much He loves us!

As Children of God, let your inner child outside to play once in a while and glorify the God who cares for you!

Thank God for the clouds and the sun that still shines through!

With love, your sister, Celeste