Like The Sun

It occurred to me this morning that He is like the Sun. I realize that so many times there are references to Him being like the Son, as in His Son, but this time, I spent time thinking about how He is like the sun. Not only in the sense that He created the sun from nothing, which in itself is beyond my comprehension, but also in the sense that He is always there, that without Him life is not possible, that through Him we grow, and that away from Him we are cold.

Every day, the sun rises and sets. It is a pattern that will never grow old for me. Each day, if I get the chance to see the sunrise or sunset, I pause for a moment to behold the majesty, the tapestry of color in the sky. So often I am breathless for a moment as I see the colors stretch on the horizon from end to end, so rich, so soft, so vivid. God is like that, isn't He? Daily in our lives, never leaving us alone, creating colors and passions in our lives that are vivid, passionate, and real. He will create in our lives a living tapestry of color, experience and grace if we will allow Him. I don't always see the sunrise or sunset, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Just as I don't always see Him in my life, I know that He is there waiting.

On the days that the sun shines hotly down, especially those times when we haven't had sun for awhile, we do several things in my family. First, we bask in it, soaking up the warmth that comes down. I joke often that I am solar powered! We slow down long enough in the new warmth to let the sun cover us from head to toe. We make certain that we are warmed from the outside in, loving a visit from a friend that we haven't seen for too long. After this basking, we play. There seems to be a lightness of heart and spirit when the sun is out after an absence. People seem to be kinder to one another and we all seem to smile a little more. But then the sun stays for a few days, and while we enjoy the light, I know I can sometimes get a little snooty about the heat. There is still work to be done, and I tend to melt. Living in different places, the reaction seems the same, after a few days of direct sun, we like to find shade. Somewhere that the light isn't so bright, where the heat isn't so intense. A nice breeze is also appreciated. How much is this like God in our lives? After what we perceive as silence or absence from Him, how we glory in His return! We revel in His warmth, and lie for a moment for Him to warm us from the inside out! We allow Him to recharge us. We play in His warmth. In His love and joy for us as His children, we jump and squeal with delight. We are softer, a little less hurried. We smile a little more and enjoy each other's company. But then the heat continues. We realize that the life of this world hasn't slowed down any, and the pressures of this world continue to bear down. I know I tend to get a little grumpy with my Savior, and I turn my back on Him. I look for shade, or I go indoors and turn on the fan or the AC...anything to get away for a break from the intensity of His heat and the self-reflection brought on by His intense love.

And in the seasons of fall and winter, when we feel the sun is absent from our lives, He is still there. Faithfully, never changing, coming in from a different angle, the sun still shines, still warms and still grows. Just as He does. We shiver from the cold with out the light and warmth, but truly, the sun shines daily...what layer of clouds are we responsible for? What level of warmth will we let in from the outside? Will our light shine from the outside in? Or from the inside out? If I let Him, I am sure that He will warm me from head to toe, from the inside out, thoroughly, daily, completely...like the sun that He created. If I can open my heart to Him long enough, and on a daily basis, then By His Grace, I will have Him shining in my life each day!