Thunder and Lightning!

Well, I awoke this morning to a not so glorious North Carolina day!  When I open the blinds the sky was overcast and dark while the yard was wet from the thunder and lightning storm that past by in the wee hours of the morning.  But you know, I wasn’t about to let the circumstances that faced me dictate how my day was going to be!  When my dog and I stepped out onto the patio into the warm moist air, I found that I could still rejoice and be glad as I viewed my surroundings under the inspiration of the light that shines brightly within me.

The more I looked, the more I could see of the blessings that followed the storm.  Everything exemplified a deeper shade of green than the day before.  The blades of grass shimmered under the effect of the rain drops that hung off of them, the sounds of the birds chirping in the trees seemed to have a deeper resonance, and there was a greater array of different colored birds than normal feeding off the treasures that had surfaced from under the ground due to the heavy rains in the early morning hours.

I guess that it all depends on your outlook on life!  Jesus told the religious leaders in John 9:5 that “As long as I’m in the world, I’m the light of the world.” (God’s Word ©)  I tend to take that verse quite literally and see its effects as being presently active through me and every other Christian who walks this earth today!  For while Jesus may be physically seated at the right hand of God, His spirit resides in every born-again believer.  So, when I stepped out into the dreary morning atmosphere earlier today, I brought the Son-light with me!  I do not need that bright ball in the sky to determine if I am I going to be up or down each day!

Thayer’s tells us that the word “light” means “the light of truth and its knowledge… reason, mind and the power of understanding.”  When I step out of bed each morning the light that is inside of me dictates how my day will turn out!  When I looked out into the dark environment that met my gaze this morning, I instantly recalled the truth of God’s promise to me understanding that the Lord has made me to be the head and not the tail, on the top of things and not scrapping at the bottom of the barrel! (See Deuteronomy 28:13 and Galatians 3:13)

John 1:4 makes the bold declaration that “In him (Jesus) was life; and the life was the light of men.” (KJV)  Once again we are talking about the God kind of Zoë life!  It is a life that is to be vibrant and animate (see Thayer’s definition of Zoë).  It is the daily life that we are to live and pass on to others by our joyful attitudes, kind and loving words along with corresponding actions and the perpetual peaceful smile on our faces!  It is the light of His life that causes us to be the anchor when the storms of life hit.  Like when the lightning lit up the room last night through the closed blinds and the ensuing “Bam!” of thunder that immediately followed and shook the room, and I leaned over and put my arm on my wife’s side as she raised up in the bed with her eyes opened wide, and with the other hand leaned over the side of the bed to pet the dog who had quickly come over.

I am not sure if it was my touch, my laugh or my calmly telling them that everything was going to be alright that helped them both to relax and go back to sleep.  But a few minutes later when my wife was resting comfortably and the dog had curled up in a ball next to the bed, I smiled to the Lord and thanked Him for His light that is brighter and stronger than any flash of lightning that the sky could emit.

So… go out and be a light in somebody’s life today!  Let your joyfully peaceful attitude be a blessing to all that you come in contact with this weekend.  Remember you carry the light and have the potential to set the atmosphere around you!  Have a great weekend.  Stay in tune to His Word and keep asking yourself… “What or Whom am I expecting today?”