Gone Are The Dark Days

Is anybody else as excited as I am that today is the first day of spring???? I adore spring. I love the sunshine, the warm weather, the excitement of something new. It does something for me to be able to wear sandals everyday. Spring is my happy place. I feel this way every year, but there is something about the start of spring when you've had a tough winter. Granted, I live in Florida and I don't know that we ever even experienced "winter" as most people know it, but we had our share of cold, rainy, yucky days, what felt like never ending sickness and we had to wear real shoes. And socks.

Anyway, I'm just basking in the bliss of sunshine and bright colors. And I'm thanking God for bringing me through another winter. Not just a physical winter, but an emotional winter of sorts. For the last few months my moods have seemed to match the dreary weather. I can't even really say why. I think a lot of it probably has to do with all of the changes I've been going through. Who knew saying good-bye to Diet Coke would send me into a pit of despair. :)  I'm just kidding. Kind of. On top of health issues, I am praying about some other decisions I need to make. A month ago that decision caused me so much stress, but now, I have peace about it, even if I don't have all the answers. I now have peace because the sun is shining? Could be, but I don't think that's it. 

Josh has been working on a new logo for our church and the slogan he keeps coming back to is, "Where the Son Always Shines".  Perfect for a church that is literally two blocks from the beach, right? I really want to show you the design, but it hasn't been officially voted on, so I better wait. :)  The reason I share that is because today as I contemplated the changing of the seasons, it dawned on me that no matter what season I am going through personally, I have the light of the Son in my life. No matter how dark the days seem, He is not only the light of the world (John 8:12), but He lights our own personal path as well (Psalm 119:105). 

When we first started talking about the slogan we thought it was catchy and would go with the design. But today it really spoke to me. Because I know the stories of the sweet people who call that church, home. Because I live next door to that church, 2 blocks from the beach. Because I know that the "sun" doesn't always shine. There has been heartache, anxiety, fear, and stress. No human experience is free of those things. But, I also have witnessed how the "Son" has shone in those same situations. 

Life is full of seasons. Some happy and exciting, some difficult and trying. The more dark days I've experienced the more I've learned how important it is to depend on the Son to be the source of light in my life instead of relying on other people or expecting everything to always go just the way I think it should. It won't. True joy and contentment come from knowing Who is in control, rather than seeking to control everything in our lives. True peace is knowing Who is in charge of the road trip even when we aren't even sure where we are going. The Son begins to shine in our dark days when we fully grasp Who has ordained all of our days, the dark ones and the sunny ones. Even in the darkest of days, we are not alone. We are not helpless. We have a heavenly Father who asks us, " Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons^[c] 

   or lead out the Bear^[d] with its cubs?" Job 38:32. Basically, He reminds us of His power and that what He is capable of is so much more than any problem we face. He reminds us that He shines, even in the darkness.