All summer long, I've been sitting outside, first thing in the morning, with a cup of coffee, my journal, and my Bible. And the sun, high in the sky, has softly warmed the place I sit. I know it's been happening gradually, a bit at a time, but this morning, I noticed a distinct change in the light. The sun looks lower in the sky. It's rays are filtered through the still green and full leaves of the tree. But now I sit mostly in shade. The dew is heavy on the grass. It sparkles where sunlight falls. The glass table-top in front of me shimmers, almost rainbow-like, with sunlight reflected in the tiny dew droplets. Behind me, the tomato plants hang heavy, still waiting to ripen. Gradually, they soak up water and bask in the warmth of the sun until, one day, they will turn from green to red. They will be ready. This is the gradual, yet inevitable pace of the changing of the seasons. It's mid-August. Before we know it, fall will be here.
What I have observed today, in the changing of the light, in the turning of the seasons, can also be true of God's work in our lives. Often, it is gradual, sometimes imperceptible, until one day, suddenly you notice it. Something has shifted. Something has grown. Something has ripened. Something is ready. In my Bible I read, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. The life I now live, I live by faith in Christ who loves me. I do not nullify the grace of God..." -Galatians 2:20,21. Apparently, Paul noticed the light changing, too. Not by his own effort, but by the love of God. Soaking up God's grace, and basking in the warmth of Christ's love, may the changing of the light keep us mindful of God's subtle but sure healing power at work, in us.
Blessings,
Cheryl
