Seeing Through The Fog

“…We must choose to see before having the opportunity to choose how we see it.”  Andy Andrews

Fog…it can be very difficult to see through if it is damp and wet outside.  You may have to slow your pace if you are driving.  You most certainly would have to watch more carefully.  It might make you a bit more tense too.  See how the clouds are rolling in as you look at the lead photo?  It won’t be long and the fog will roll in thick and low.

Thought:  We like to see where we are going, and would prefer not to have situations that keeps us from seeing clearly.  At least I think most of us are that way.

I had the great pleasure of spending some one-on-one time with my grandson this last week and what a joy that was!  We talked, giggled, belly laughed, played  together, learned together, and talked about things he needed to talk about.  It was a great time!  I hope he will remember it as much as I will remember it.  I rented a hotel room for just him and I with party snacks of his choice, and the TV didn’t come on once!  We played one game on his phone, which I can proudly say, I won!!  He of course wanted another challenge.  Hey!  I know when I’m ahead!!  No challenge for me!  I’m the winner!  He chose the snacks…a boy after my own heart.  He chose Salt and Vinegar Chips with Pepsi, and Hershey’s Kisses.  I mean really!  Be still my heart.  I had brought him a bag of Cracker Jacks which his papa and I had introduced to him long ago.  Snacks for later…all this was preceded with a Five Guy’s burger, of course.

In all the fun over the couple of days, there was a lesson that hit a familiar chord in me.  It reminded me of a post I did many months ago.  I think it bears repeating.  So many times, our lives take on some pretty heavy burdens on the journey.  We get so wrapped up in trying to maintain, that we forget that God should be our first stop, and not the last.  In these hard times and difficult places, we often have a murky view; a fog that makes it hard to see the road ahead.  We have had a lot of rain this year and driving around in the storm, reminded me that our lives can be like that.  At times, I couldn’t see much beyond the front of my car, and I have a Mini, so that isn’t far!  The rain came down in sheets in front of me.  Well…in the same way, our lives can be so hard that we can’t see beyond the next step.  However, just like when the rain let up a bit, I can see better, and I can feel myself relax.  Why?  Because, I can see more clearly.  We all want to see what is ahead of us.  The difficulty in our relationship with God comes into play when God doesn’t always show the way or direction.  It is uncomfortable for us to wait on Him to show the way and make it more clear to us.  But just like I could relax a bit when the rain let up, we can relax our turmoil when we allow God to work it out in His way and in His timing.

One of our excursions at the end of the day, was to go into a thrift store and look around.  It’s fun to see what he sees, and because he is still a bit shorter than me, he sees things I don’t always see.  I always look in the glassware to see if I see any of my grandmother’s dishes, or see any Farmers Rose, because I found a cup and saucer that way once.  So, lo and behold, I walk down the aisle and find a glass dish like my grandmother’s.  My grandson said, “Grandma, that doesn’t look like it’s a very good one.  It has stuff all over it and some spots on it.  It’s looks all cloudy.”  So I told him that when I get home, I will wash it all up and it will look like new!  Down the next aisle, I see this copper double boiler and another copper pot.  So cute!  So I put them in the cart.  The double boiler he was ok with, but the little pot had a couple of spots that were worn and didn’t look as shiny as the rest of it.

Here is the story: I told my grandson, “Here’s the story…this dish and these pans aren’t perfect as we look at them now.  The dish is dirty looking with spots and looks like it won’t even come clean, and the pans have spots on them that won’t ever look perfect.  But our live can look like those things.  When I don’t have Jesus, my eyes are kind of clouded, just like that dish, or like the heavy rain when we drove in today.  We can’t see very clear, and we don’t understand that we CAN be clean and new with Jesus.  I have sin in my life and things I don’t always do right.  So I have spots in my life that are just like that one pan.  But just like the glass dish, when I have Jesus in my heart, He cleans me up like brand new just because He loves me.  When He comes into my heart, I’m all bright and beautiful just like this dish will be when I wash away all the dirt.  Now, there may be times in my life that I have done something that isn’t right.  Because I did that, it has changed my life.   Those spots are like spots on this pan.  The spots will always be there.  But God has forgiven me for that because I asked Him.  They remind me that yes, I made some mistakes.  But the rest of my life is shiny and new, and God is polishing up those bad spots to make me shine, just like this pan will.  Just like I will clean the spots on the pan, they will still be there.  However,  now they are clean and polished because I gave them to Jesus.  These pans and glass dish weren’t so pretty to look at in the store, but I saw their value and I KNEW how great they could look.  Jesus knows how valuable our life can be if He is in our hearts.  He wants to make our lives better.  So I don’t mind the spots, because they remind me that Jesus loves me no matter what.  He doesn’t see my mistakes.  He sees me all clean.  When I look at these pots and the glass dish in my home, they tell me that story…”

I hope he will remember that story long after I am gone.  God is so like that!  If we ask God to help us notice His presence in our day, He will give us a story.  He will show His love for you in ways that will have meaning to YOU.

Given that this very activity of spending important time with family and friends (a goal for 2017) was what my two days were all about, the time I was able to spend with Ethan and short visits with a few friends was totally awesome.  It filled me up.  I am excited to see where God takes me as I am obedient to Him about these steps this year.  On top of that, I got all my software updated for my camera and lenses, so it is ready for Norway pictures when I leave in May!

Are you in a position at this time where the rains of life are so heavy that you can’t see past your feet?  Or the fog keeps rolling in on you and you can’t see where you are to go?  The enemy would like nothing more than to keep you in the fog bank, and drench you in the rains of despair, making you feel hopeless.  Don’t let him do that, my friend.  Ask God to send the Son to break through the rains and the fog bank, and lead you out!  He will!  That much I know!!  Keep your joy bank full, and pay it forward this week!

Until next time…

~JoAnn