Last month, as I was sitting on the balcony of a cruise ship, a large cloud passed between the ship and the sun, causing me to wish for the cloud to pass and the warmth to return. It was chilly and much less comfortable when the cloud kept the direct sun from shining on me.

I thought this event to be a fitting metaphor for life.

When the clouds come, we know that they have not extinguished the sun, they have merely obscured it to the point where it is hard to distinguish exactly where it is. In the same way, the trials of life (we all have them) cannot extinguish God’s love and faithfulness. The trials merely make it more difficult to perceive God’s love and faithfulness.

As I sat on that balcony, I could see that in a few moments the clouds would pass and blue sky and sunshine would return. As with the clouds which hide the sun for relatively short periods of time and then dissipate, the trials of life are not permanent and will likewise dissipate.

It can be difficult to perceive that God loves me when circumstances appear to be evidence to the contrary.

When this is the case, I need to remind myself that I have not yet experienced a morning when the sun did not rise. By reminding myself of the faithfulness of the sunrise, I can also be reminded that I have not yet experienced a morning when I have not been loved by God.

The clouds, and the trials, do not last forever and the light of God’s love shines through.

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