The Sun's Still Up There, Regardless Of The Clouds

Every cloud has a silver lining.
It's always darkest before dawn.
Keep your face to the sun and you'll never see the shadows.
No matter where you go, bring your own sunshine.
When you can't see the sunshine, be your own sunshine.

Have you seen these phrases and quotes framed and hung on the wall? Or maybe crocheted on a pillow? The sun gets all the glory while the clouds are made out to be the villain in the story. If it wasn't for those stupid clouds, we'd have a pretty perfect life and sunshiny days, right?

But that's definitely not the case. I would wager that most people know the sun doesn't hide and the clouds don't purposely wander across the sky to darken our days. I'm not a meteorologist, nor do I play one on tv, but I'm pretty sure the clouds don't destroy the sun or make our course around the sun change. The sun's still up there, regardless of the clouds.

There has only been one time in recorded history when the sun has ever been affected, and it wasn't by a cloud.

Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel. Joshua 10:12-14

The miraculous stopping of the sun was for two express purposes - to further establish Joshua's position as God's mouthpiece and to show how mighty our God truly is. There could be no other explanation for the stillness of the sun that an act of God, and the entire nation of Israel saw it and understood God's message loud and clear.

Is there something happening in your life right now that feels like a bank of clouds blotting out the sun? It doesn't take much for our hearts to get dark and dreary when the clouds get in the way of our natural sunshine. Can you say Vitamin D deficiency on physical, emotional and mental levels?

It takes great faith in God to remember that the sun is always there and it's always shining, even when we can't see it. The size and number of clouds moving across our days doesn't matter when we have crazy faith in the God who created those clouds Himself. All it takes is a little change in perspective.

What outlook are you going to adopt today? Will you cling to empty catchphrases or will you remember the truth of God's promises? The clouds don't hang around forever, and God can't wait to show you the sunshine again!

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