I love to get lost in sunshine, sunrises and sunsets. I love the feel of the sun shining down on me whether it's winter, spring, summer or fall, sunshine warms my heart. What is it about the sun that makes us all smile? What is it about the sun that makes us all feel better? The temperature doesn't even seem to matter when the sun is shining. Why? I'm not sure but I do know the sun makes me smile. It literally and figuratively warms my heart and makes me feel more alive. How about you? How does the sunshine affect you and your life, or does it?
Life is hard! There are seasons in our life, like the seasons of this earth, where we feel dormant, cold and lonely. There are times we feel alive and sparkling with new ideas, fresh goals and intriguing plans. There are times we feel overheated and overwhelmed, yet also relaxed and resting (is that even possible?). Then again there are times when we feel like we're losing everything. Everything seems to be falling apart and we feel like we're losing our minds. Just as the seasons change on this planet, the seasons of our lives come and go. Whether we keep looking at the sunshine and seeing the good we still have or we can bury ourselves in the darkness and hide, clinging to every wrong in our lives.
The choice is ours to make but for me I cling to the "Son"shine. I didn't misspell there it was intentional. It means for me when I see the actual sunshine, when I feel the warmth of the sun kissing my cheeks, I am instantly overwhelmed by the presence of Jesus Christ. He is the Son I seek every day, every season, every second of every day. His loves overwhelms me and He chases me down with blessings and favor because I totally surrender to Him everyday and I allow His grace to invade my heart and change my life forever. Through my faith in Jesus Christ, not only has my life been changed but my eternity also. It has changed the way I feel about everything and everyone.
Growing up in a catholic church, there were "holy days of obligation". The sheer thought that I "have to" mass on these days made me question God. Would He really make me go to church or else I'd go to hell? The answer for a child was scary but now as an adult I know that this was not true. God doesn't want robots coming to church because they "have to'. Unfortunately our churches are filled with those who feel they "have to" attend on these days. Church should never be about obligation, it's about wanting a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. I go to church because I love it! I want to go to church and be in His presence.
Sunshine and "Son"shine lead me closer to God not out of obligation but in the quest for a deeper relationship with Him.
Sometimes I think the only God that makes sense to me is that of the short lived "Aten" cult: that is, the sun god who gave and took with complete indifference. The sun, after all, ripens the crops but also scorches the earth with drought. It brings forth life at the beginning of each day, but brings on the cancers that disfigure and kill. Implacable, indifferent, giving and heartless as the universe.
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