“It’s a beautiful morning, ah, I think I’ll go outside for a while and just smile. Just take in some clean fresh air, boy (Ain’t) no sense in staying inside if the weather’s fine and you got the time. It’s your chance to wake up and plan another brand-new day,” A Beautiful Morning, The Rascals. Listened to that song today and it is a beautiful morning. The world is wide awake, full of happiness, in love with this glorious day. No sounds in my neighborhood but the symphonies of the songbirds. Psalm 19:1 states, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” The beauty in the sky — the rainbows, the sunsets, the silver raindrops, the white snowflakes — all reveal God’s power and artistry.

We can be the sky with our sunshine days of happiness and purple cloudy days of sadness and grief. When clouds and storms fill our lives we know the sunlight is behind the clouds. We wait and we pray and the clouds are lifted, the sunlight flows back. We gravitate to the warmth of the sun. No need to stare at a dark cloud hanging over your head. The storm has to play itself out. Don’t let yesterday’s clouds and shadows spoil the sunshine of tomorrow. God is always close by in the storms. Psalm 36:5 reads, “Your loving kindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.”

A rainbow needs rain and sunshine to prance out after a storm and hug the horizon with its bent bow of colors. Our lives can rebound after disappointments, tragedies, and storms of grief. We need cloudy days to teach us, through our faith, we can once again have the happiness of blue skies. Dolly Parton said, “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” It takes a lot of hard work to be a rainbow. Life will never be without the darkness of storms but we’ll never have to weather these storms without God.

Isaiah 43:2 states, “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” We all have to endure hardships and difficult challenges on our journey through life. If we travel with God we’re on a path to eternal life in his kingdom of heaven.

Another favorite prayer to close with, an Irish Friendship Blessing — “May God give you… For every storm, a rainbow, for every tear, a smile, for every care, a promise, and a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, a faithful friend to share, for every sigh, a sweet song, and an answer for each prayer.”

“Only from the heart can you touch the sky.”— Rumi