December 14, 2018
Looking For Light in Days of Grey
Michele Cushatt
Today’s Truth
The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light (Matthew 6:22, ESV).
Friend to Friend
A glance out the window revealed the day would be another gloomy one. Three in a row, maybe four. I wearied of it. I scanned east to west, and noted a thick band of grey rain clouds covered every bit of Colorado’s typical blue sky, eclipsing any hope of warmth yet again. Although only mid-October, the sweet days of summer felt a million miles away. Already I missed the afternoons spent lounging on the porch with a book or my laptop as well as the occasional nap in the sun. Only a long stretch of winter lay ahead.
After living in Colorado for nearly twenty-two years, I’ve grown accustomed to sunshine more often than not. Rarely does weather make a lengthy appearance. And when it does, storms swoop in over the mountains and then exit onto the plains as fast as they came.
Even so, winter is tough for me. Not the weather or the temperature as much as the lack of light. Although Colorado boasts three hundred days of sunshine a year, winter packs the greyest days, not to mention shortened hours of sunlight. This seeps into my skin and alters my mood, making it more difficult for me to stay positive, hopeful and full of joy. It’s silly, of course, because I know in a day or season the sun will again make his appearance. But, in the moment, it seems as if the gloom will never end.
The same could be said for the ebb and sway of ordinary life. We may experience warm summer seasons packed with joy and warmth and hope. During these extended times, whether a few days or a few years, it’s difficult to imagine the weight of grey days. With the sun warming us with possibilities, gloom stays at bay.
But then the grey season comes. And too often it lasts far longer than we can bear. Months, weeks, years. One grey day turns into another, until we grow so weary we stop dreaming of the sun.
However, Jesus reminded us that wholeness—emotional, physical, and spiritual wholeness—begins with a good set of eyes. Eyes that are able to see not only the obvious, but the hidden. Spiritual vision looks beyond what is right in front of us to see what cannot be seen—the sun sitting faithfully on the other side of the grey, a God still present, still active, even in the middle of a storm.
If you and I want to have a life filled of light, we must develop the kind of eyes that see the truth when we can’t feel it, and believe the God’s promise to be with us when He feels far away. Although we may see nothing but gloom, the Light shines even still.
Let’s Pray
Dear Lord, it is easy for me to become overwhelmed with all that is wrong with this life, the relationships that cause me grief and the circumstances that cause me pain. When I allow myself to become consumed with all the grey, I lose sight of your glorious light. Illuminate my life with your wisdom and presence. Open my eyes that I might see what you see. And, thus, experience a life full of your light.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Today, commit to viewing each task, person, circumstance, and event with eyes that are on the hunt for light. Regardless of the weather, make a list of every glimmer of God’s presence and glory you encounter.
More from the Girlfriends
A storyteller at heart, Michele Cushatt writes and speaks on the necessity of perseverance, leadership and faith in the hard places. A three-time tongue cancer survivor and mama to children "from hard places," Michele is a (reluctant) expert of pain, trauma and our deep human need for real connection. She lives in Colorado with her husband and their six children, ages 11 to 26. Find out more about Michele at www.MicheleCushatt.com.
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