It has been a long second half of winter in Nashville. The ice/snow days, the cold weather, and the cloudy, dreary skies have not helped my mood over the past few weeks. Add the time change in and it's just completely thrown me off kilter.
But after a rainy start to the weekend (Friday and Saturday), Sunday was a beautiful day! I actually wish that I had opened my window blinds earlier than I did, but as I got ready to leave for church (the late service), I happened to catch a glimpse of a strange, yet familiar light shining in the cracks of the blinds. When I went outside, I was so happy to find that I needed my sunglasses and that there was not a cloud in the sky! That's right, it was all blue. (I guess the University of Kentucky fans that swarmed our city this weekend probably thought it was for them, although sky blue is more of a Carolina blue . . . but I digress).
Honestly, my mood in the morning was still stuck in the gray mode and I was not too excited about the day ahead. But the sunshine and a wonderful time of worship and teaching from my pastor helped lift me out of the gray and by the time I left church (after choir rehearsal) and finished up my grocery shopping, my mood had done a complete 180!
Of course, that brings me to the other part of the equation: my son was on his way home for Spring Break! I spent the rest of the afternoon sitting outside in the sunshine reading magazines and looking for his car to come cruising in the driveway. He got home safely and we had a great time catching up on things and hanging out together. Time with my son just fills my tank and while I am accepting of the fact that he's growing up and leaving the nest, spending time with him is usually an instant mood-lifter for me. I love the time we can have together, and it's especially precious now that it's not an everyday occurance.
As I was driving to work today and contemplating the sunshine and the time with my son, I was thankful that my thoughts also moved to the main Source of my joy: God's Son, Jesus. So often, I forget or neglect to go to him with my sadness, my melancholy moods, my burdens. And even when I do bring them to him, sometimes the mood doesn't go away automatically. However, I can and do experience a "peace that passes all understanding" (Philippians 4:7) when I take the time to go to the Son in prayer and pour out my heart to him. He is always with me (and with you) and always hears and cares about what is weighing down my heart.
So yes, I am happy when the sun is shining and when I get to have special times with my son, but thankfully, the real reason that I can enjoy those things and can persevere through the hard things in life is because Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
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