The sky is beautifully overcast today in the colors of pewter and silver and slate colored grays. Ralph Waldo Emerson says, “The sky is the daily bread of the eyes.” I agree and the overcast skies are just as beautiful to me as the deep blue skies of sunny days. The cloudy sky hasn’t muted the birds happy singing, their songs are floating on the air mingling with soft wind chime tintinnabulations. I can hear the pileated woodpecker’s drum beat on the old oak down the street. A yard symphonic orchestra is tuning up for a spring morning concert.

Two blue jays, birds who never visit my yard, are enjoying the bird baths, drinking contentedly, the vibrant blues of their plumage contrasting so prettily with the crimson cardinals. A small flock of brown-headed cow birds are perched on the feeders this morning, dressed in their black cloaks and chocolate brown hoods. Two young squirrels are running up and down the old water oak. The little flock of fighting finches are arguing loudly, aggravating the cardinals. The morning sun has burned off the clouds and now the sun’s rays are quickly heating up the landscape. Another glorious day in my little southern slice of heaven.

My friend sent me this quote yesterday. “Life is God’s novel. Let him write it,” Issac Bashevis Singer. That’s a great quote! It’s so hard to let God write our life’s story. Just like an editor improves a written work, God edits our lives by giving us trials and triumphs. We’re given choices and have free will to make up our own minds. We try to control our journey but God has other plans and sometimes he drops a big old boulder to steer us off our path, testing us to strengthen our faith. When we come to the crossroads, we have to go to God in prayer to decide which path to travel.

Sometimes we just strike out on our own, thinking we’re in control. These difficult paths strengthen our faith in God when we realize we’re lost, needing God’s light to show us the way out of our darkness. We read in Isaiah 41:13, “For I The Lord your God will hold your right hand, saying to you, Fear not; I will help you.” With God holding our hands we can trust in him as he reassures us of his presence, always faithful and steadfast, standing ready when we need to depend on him.

God doesn’t force us to walk a certain path, he holds our hands as a father hold the hands of his child and gently guides us along the way. We stumble or step off the path, God is there to catch us. Psalm 139 says, “All of your days were written before you were born.” God has plans for everyone and we learn through our faith how to align our story with His story. We read in Ephesians 2:10, “We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

God has a purpose for each of us. He guides us through prayer and scripture to a fulfilling and meaningful life. Psalm 32:8 states, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” God edits our life story through spiritual guidance, guiding us to be more like Jesus. God knows the beginning and the end of our story. Take his hand and let him lead you to heaven.

“A man who walks with God always gets to his destination.” — Henrietta Means