You Are Not in This Alone

Kalispell, Montana averages 151 sunny days per year.

We were in the middle of one of our long winter stretches of inversions, which means days stretch into weeks, with nothing but cold temperatures and gray skies. Vitamin D becomes nothing but an old memory of summer long gone. Moods start to match the weather. Everyone starts to lose hope of ever feeling the sun on his face again. I’m sure the song “In the Bleak Midwinter” must have been penned here in this valley.

Bleak is how I felt in my spirit last week, as a walked to the front windows to open the shades in the morning, knowing our picture windows would only reveal cloud-covered Rocky Mountains and dismal gray. We are two years into a painful, stressful circumstance in our lives that seemingly has…no…end. The weather outside matched the weather in my soul that day. It was hard not to lose hope of the sun ever shining on our hearts again.

Dreary.  

But when I pulled open the first window shade, there above the Rocky Mountains was a sliver of clear sky and a brilliant sunrise forcing its way into the dark valley.

Not too long ago, my two-year-old grandson went through a phase of saying, ‘member Parker?’ And his grandpa would respond by saying, ‘member Grandma? Lewis would say, ‘member Julia? They would go back and forth, remembering all of the family members.

At the window last week, as I stared in awe at the sunrise, the Holy Spirit said to me, ‘member God?

And I did. I looked at the colors exploding over the mountaintops, and I remembered who God is and that he is near to my broken, weary heart. I remembered that he is always at work, even when I can’t see it.

Moments later, the sunrise was covered by gray again, over the mountains and over our difficult circumstance. But I’ve kept ‘membering.

7 Comments

  1. Cheryl (Pierce) Cassin says:

    ‘Membering is the key to so many dark days. I hear you, sister….two LONG years with circumstances beyond our control. We have to MEMBER our God who holds us each second and each day….HIS timing is not ours. The sun may not be shining but the SON surely is.

  2. Julie Opperman says:

    Awe! But God!
    I am leading our ladies through Ephesians & what do you suppose we are talking about tomorrow…’member!
    Ephesians 2:11 & 12 start with remember. Love when God connects the dots! Thank you for sharing your gift of writing!

  3. Cindy Merritt says:

    I’m ‘membering you in your hard, Christy. Praying many more glorious glimpses of our good, good God to soften your hard.

  4. ‘membering has been good for me as I struggle with decisions made last fall. God has continued to show up reminding me to believe in the dark what He showed me in the light. Thank you for this reminder. ?

  5. The sun has just begun to shine! It is an awesome reminder that God shines through us even on cloudy days.

  6. Cyndi Theisen says:

    I am studying 2 Corinthians and we are discussing chapter 4 today where Paul says ‘We don’t lose heart’ this affliction is nothing compared to the eternal weight of glory. Like the sun peeking out of the clouds we know it is there in spite of the clouds and it shines even if we can’t see it. Thank you for your thoughts and words, Christy.

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