This Ohio Sun

7 Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun. 8 So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity. – Ecclesiastes 11:7-8

Midwesterners value the sun like few others. There is an eager anticipation for its appearance, much like a child anxiously awaiting Christmas morning. Dreary days and bitter cold nights haunt us as we retreat into homes and cars in search of an artificial sun. The summer brings about a new perspective, a new hope. We see the grace of God in tangible ways as we no longer feel bound to the indoors.

The days of darkness are many

In this post Genesis 3 world, we live in an ever present darkness. It is easy to write it off as fallen and irredeemable, but there are signs of hope . . . if you look. Like an unexpected midwestern heat wave, our creator provides us glimpses into His reality. As followers, we look for these rare views, knowing all too well how few they are. We live in a world where even the good can easily be corrupted.

Because of the scarcity of good in this world, we look to our Father, clinging to His hope. Days without the sun expose our true gods. The key to a deep spiritual life might just be found in the ability to carry hope into the darkness. When things look like a Midwestern downpour, we believe unshakably in the sun’s reappearance. This hope provides us with an unbridled joy. The circumstances of life no longer has the final word, as we find warmth in the eternal.

Today, look for signs of God’s goodness. Even in this seemingly broken world, there is hope. Bask in the sun.