Shine

Nineteen years ago I lived in darkness. Maybe not that bad. Bev and I lived in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. There was so much air pollution that the sun never made an appearance. It took a weekend away in Hong Kong to rise above the muck and see the sun in its full glory again.

I recently met a guy in Melbourne. His name is also Mark and he has hit some bad times in his life. Alienated from his family and with no place to call home, he makes a few dollars every day from people getting rid of their loose change. Every Thursday when I come into the city, we have a coffee together and “chew the fat” – that’s talk about life! In spite of having nothing and going nowhere on the social ladder, he is happy. Even though his life is filled with clouds, he knows that the sun is still shining.

How much more, don’t we, who have the light of “The Son” in our lives, have to live for. Don’t believe everything you see. Don’t be so focused on the clouds, that you forget the sun that is always shining. Don’t even see the darkness as invincible. You see, if we don’t have darkness, we can’t appreciate the light. That’s why so many people who have lived such privileged lives, struggle when things go wrong. What if our blessings come in raindrops and our joy comes through tears?

God doesn’t exist to fix our every problem. We exist to worship Him. We will experience trouble and thunder, but those clouds bring rain, that rain brings growth, and that growth makes us stronger. And when the sun is covered by clouds, know that God’s love never stops shining on you. The struggles we are facing now, are nothing compared to the joy that is coming when we go to “a better place”. And that place is reserved for those who accept The Son and live in the Light.