June 29-30 - Sundrops

“I will extol the Lord at all times, His praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord, let the afflicted hear and rejoice “ - Psalm 32:1-2

This time last week Britain was struggling to cope with sweltering temperatures of over 32 degrees. It was a relief when the temperature dropped this week and the wind and rain came. In both the heat and the rain, certain people looked and felt miserably uncomfortable.

It reminded me of one particularly damp and windy day. Hundreds of calves were huddled outside, shoulder to hindquarter, tucked between the fence and the barn. The rain had created a mess of mud and the calves looked dirty brown instead of the usual black and white. They looked miserable. All except one calf. In the face of the wind he skipped and jumped like a child, splashing through the mud, andoblivious to the downpour. That mud-caked calf looked happy.

Like that calf, David chose the most unlikely place to reveal his joy. Fleeing from Saul, David, with 400 dirty, smelly renegades were huddled in the cave of Abdulan. There he had the audacity to declare, “Those who look to Him are radiant, their faces are never covered with shame.” David chose that unusual moment to declare the joy of being a child of God.

God has promised us joy – even on those days when there's not even a glimmer to be found. Precious joy comes to us through friends who allow us to say whatever we need to say. It comes to us through the faces of those who love us and don't beat about the bush but help us deal with reality. Joy comes through the words of the Bible that were shared with us when we didn't have the energy to seek them out ourselves.

In the tough days remember the joy that will never fail. True joy comes in knowing that God cares enough about us that He opened the doors of heaven. Then take each fear by the horn and lead it to the face of God. Let your fears see the light of eternal day and you too, can skip, laugh, dance and sing....whatever the weather.

(Acknowledgements "365 Days of Hope".

Click on the picture to listen to today's music - Sisters sing "Under His Wings"