All day I’ve been reminded of a verse of scripture from Psalms, “Be still, and know I am God.” My yard has been perfectly silent and still today. There were a few bird arias and a little woodpecker drumming but my yard was still and quiet and I felt God’s presence in the silence, the sacred stillness bringing a sense of divine presence. Our modern world is never quiet, never slows down, full of people in a hurry to go no where. I watched a small flock of birds fly around the neighborhood from oaks to magnolias, their rhythmic flight pattern undulating like a curling cresting ocean wave. The little birds never got close enough for me to identify but I would guess they were goldfinches. Be still and know I am God compels us to quiet our soul and trust in God’s grace during times of difficulties. As we turn our burdens over to God through prayer, he floods us with a faithful peace. There is a calming, meditative power of sitting quietly and listening to nature.

As I sat in the swing enjoying the magical music of twilight, Mother Nature lit a raging reddish orange wildfire across the horizon. As the flames grew, Mother Nature picked up her watercolors and painted the clouds in a beautiful pale orange, stroking her watercolors even higher in shades of lavender purples, mauve, and pinks. The sun was dressed in a sophisticated chic golden gown of orange blossom honey, the gown’s skirt embellished with bumblebee appliqués of sequins and diamond beads. Father Sky grabbed the sun by the hand and they laughed as they ran through the flames, barely singeing their coattails as they put the day to bed. The sun darkened the day as Father Sky kissed her goodnight and went to wake the moon and stars. The waxing gibbous moon, dressed in his milky white luminous pajamas, was jarred awake by Father Sky calling him to the pageant stage of night. The moon took his place high in the velvet darkness and called the twinkling stars to surround him. The pageant of night begins as the pageant of day ends.

I love looking at the night sky. Bryan Procter describes the night perfectly in his quote, “Oh the summer night has a smile of light, and she sits on a sapphire throne.” Here’s another one I love, “How brave the moon shines in her skin outnumbered by the stars,” Angie Weiland-Crosby. These writers are giving the moon a female persona but I see the stars as women of diamonds and the moon a luminous man. I’ve always heard the phrase “Man in the Moon” but didn’t know till today that the illusion of a man’s face was created by powerful asteroid impacts on the moon billions of years ago. Being that old I can see how Father Sky has trouble waking him some nights.

I thought a lot about this quote today and how it pertains to how we see our lives. “Every day may not be glorious, but there’s something glorious every day. Find the glory,” Caleb. We all have days where things don’t go our way but if we look hard enough we can find one little speck of glitter on that day, something to appreciate and be grateful for. Waking up with breath in our bodies for another her day is a miracle in itself. We’re not promised tomorrow but like we take for granted the sun will rise every morning, we take it for granted that God will grant us another day on Earth. We need to be grateful for each and every day.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” Psalm 19:1. I think we find the glory of the day in God. We can look around and see the blessing of God in a beautiful songbird or in a sweet smile from someone we love. Life can be so dark at times and we wonder about our faith when our lives are interrupted by life’s storms and darkness. If we have God in our hearts our prayers are heard and our burdens taken away. Faith in God can always bring a ray of sunshine into our lives. Look for God daily and you’ll find his glory right where you are.

“When your spirit is heavy, when your heart is broken, when your burdens seem unbearable — trust Him. Look to Him.” — Anne Graham Lotz.