Moment of grace

Clouds break and bend light rays to expose color

The Southeast is experiencing an unusual weather pattern. While the rest of the US wilts with record heat, central Alabama is enjoying cooler and damper days. For a person very much affected by the sun’s rays, I find this a mixed blessings. I enjoy the cooler temps, but I would love to bask in the sunlight. Still, this being Alabama, I know the sun will shine again.

This reminds me of life itself. I’d like the sun to shine continually on my spiritual life as well. I’d like the way to be smooth and clear, and the challenges few and far between. But life isn’t so easily managed.

Bede Jarrett writes: Faith is the basis of life, and charity is its crown; but hope is its greatest need. Most of the difficulties of life come because we are so prone to lose heart.

I like the thought that many of our difficulties come because of our tendency to lose heart. That means life would be just a little easier if we kept in mind the working of grace. This means remembering that no matter what happens, all things work together for good for those who love God (Romans 8:28).

This one verse alone could calm our anxieties. We would look upon reverses, calamities, and setbacks not in the light of broken lives and disappointments, but with the knowledge that no matter what, God can and will bring something good from this situation.

To keep hope, then, is to keep one's face turned toward the light, and know that however dark the cloud that obscures it, the sun will break forth once more. It is not a fantasy that keeps one detached about life, but a solid belief that with every event comes a special grace. Hope is more than looking forward. It is a way of accepting life itself, with trust and certainty about the goodness of the Divine Being.