The Sonshine and the Gifts

A week ago, and we paused.  We held our breath.  Evil had once again come, close to home.  We questioned and prayed and cried and feared....

And then Wednesday, awakened to tragedy again, all those people whose lives were changed in Texas.

The manhunt in Boston on Friday. Lockdown. Paralyzing a busy city.  People hiding in their homes.  A young man, hiding... can you imagine? That murderous plan just a few days before, and then hiding in a boat?  His life before him... until he made that one decision.  Carried out that one plan.

And the nation breathed a sigh of relief and welcomed the heroes to Fenway Park.

And Monday dawned bright and glorious here, the sunshine out and the skies a white cotton candy on a blue, blue, sky. 

God is in the blue skies. He's in the stormclouds, too.  And he's in the mass chaos of a bomb exploding and He's even in a boat where a young man cowers, if only we look for Him. 

And that's our choice.  We can choose to see the hurtful pain of the world, the injustices, the evilness.  Or we can choose to stand in the sunlight, head thrown back and arms stretched wide, spinning in its warmth and beauty like a five year princess spins to see the skirt of her dress twirl.

This Monday, I'm spinning in the glory of these gifts I'm counting, in the gratitude for these blessings as I read through Stressed-Less Living by Tracey Miles:
my books and a stilled heart after a presentation, Zephaniah 3:17 running through my mind as I pray for peace as I present (the quietness of His love will calm you down), my family helping with Caleb and Isaiah 30:15 and homework done even as more piles on. For my job close to home and summertime being close by and for a future and a plan in Christ Jesus.  Thankful for stories woven together in the Bible yet so very relevant to me and for Wednesday night church with my Dad and Sunday morning church with great kids.  For a love of reading inherited and my brown eyes which come from my grandma and walking barefoot in the grass and a box of chocolate covered pretzels. (Up to 745 gifts... and they keep coming.)

And this sense of gratitude, it colors your world so that even in the darkest days, you can feel the sunshine because the Son is shining on you and you alone, even though you may be one in the crowd.  And the Sonshine takes away the bad and all that is wrong with the world and replaces it with goodness...

And that goodness just keeps on giving.  Oh, if all of the world knew that light...

Linking up with Ann Voskamp at A Holy Experience for Multitude on Mondays and for the blog hop #Blessed with Melissa Taylor Online Bible Studies at www.melissataylor.org for the book Stressed Less Living.
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