“Look at the sky” Mommy, God made it so beautiful today!" My four-year-old exclaimed from the backseat on our daily morning commute. I glanced out my window and let out a chuckle. Dark gray clouds permeated the sky; rain was only minutes away, and there was no sun to be found. I responded with a lackluster, "Yeah, buddy, it’s beautiful."
An hour later I was sitting at my desk, my gaze was taken once again to the window, where I reflected on the phrase my four-year-old had said that morning. Gray clouds still covered the sky, and the rain was now steadily falling. I wondered what could’ve sparked my four-year-old to label this sky as beautiful.
I began to parallel that day’s cloudy skies to the trials we experience in life,reflecting on some of the “cloudy days” that I’ve walked through. Days that were filled with loss, disappointment, heartbreak, and anxiety. While I couldn’t see it at the time, I came out of those days with not only a greater appreciation for the “sunny days," but more importantly, a deepened faith in a God who works all things for our good.
I imagine the people of Jerusalem had a hard time believing that to be true when Jesus was crucified. Mark 15:33-34 tells us “At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”)” While the people didn’t know it then, that “cloudy day” (understatement of the century) had to happen for us to have the ultimate “sunny days” that are promised to us in Heaven. Good Friday is only “good” because of what happened three days later. Jesus rose from the grave, the sun came out, hope was restored.
On the drive home that afternoon, the sun peeked ever so slightly through the clouds. A physical representation of hope. A tangible reminder that the sun will shine after the rain. When we place our faith in Jesus, we don’t have to fear the "cloudy days." We might even be able to find the beauty in them. As we pulled into our driveway, I smiled and recited to my son, “Buddy, look at the sky! God made it so beautiful today!”