It is a beautiful day – the first day of cooler weather. Yesterday it was hot and humid, the air heavy and smothering. Then in the early morning hours the wind began to blow. The limbs of the large oak trees I can see from my bedroom window as I lay in bed were bent over from the force of it. It seemed the wind never paused for breath.

Then came the rain – the much needed rain – slanting in translucent sheets across the front yard. The parched, cracked earth soaked it up. The dry grass responded almost at once, looking fresher and greener. The empty bird bath filled with clear rain water.

The temperatures dropped a dramatic forty degrees, and we searched the back of the closet for blue jeans and long sleeved shirts. Sandals were replaced with warm socks and tennis shoes. We even had to raid the coat closet for jackets before braving the outdoors.

I watched the dark clouds racing across the sky as we drove home from grocery shopping making way for blue skies and fluffy white clouds. This afternoon the sun is shining, the air is clear, and everything feels fresh and new. We have been waiting for this for a long time. It is a bit like coming out of a heavy sleep.

It reminds me of my own heart which often goes through seasons of heaviness and drought. I go through the days weighted down and dry. I am waiting, longing for something to change.

Then a breeze begins to stir and my heart quickens. The wind picks up blowing away the stagnant heaviness, and the refreshing rains begin to fall. When all is clean, the sun comes to fill my heart with warmth and light.

It is the work of a loving Father – cleansing my heart, sending His Spirit to fill and revive, and giving his Son to bring light into my life.


Blessings,