The days here in California have been so beautiful lately. The temperature is in the mid 70's during the day. Yesterady we went into daylight savings time which means we were able to set our clocks ahead one hour giving us a little more time at the end of each day for additional sunshine.

It also means that we are going into a new time of rebirth as when we see the plant life outside grow more rapidly as it is more visible to sunlight. Flowers will start to bloom.

Just recently I went for walk and saw a very beautiful rose. It was a light reddish variety with a hint of pink and also of orange. That one gorgeous rose made me feel like there was hope.

1 Corinthians 15:40-41 The angels in heaven have bodies far different from ours, and the beauty and the glory of their bodies is different from the beauty and the glory of ours. 41 The sun has one kind of glory while the moon and stars have another kind. And the stars differ from each other in their beauty and brightness. TLB

With the death of the Pope, there are a lot of people in mourning. There is sadness and with it a change in the air. That change means a new Pope and a new beginning. So even though we mourn the passing of a person that had a real effect on the world, we know that there will always be more hope as we grow closer to God in our daily lives.

We see, in the news every day, of one bad thing after another. But that does not mean there is always bad. There is also good. There is always hope of one form or another. It could be a newly bloomed rose or the green grass or maybe, for some, the love to be given and received by a baby in some parents lives.

I sometimes wonder what a new life will be like in the future as they grow up and make an imapct on the world around them. They will learn new and glorious things. There will be sadness and joy. Unhappiness and elation. Hate and love.

But yet no matter how bad life gets there is always the love of God to warm a persons heart. Sometimes we forget this simple situation. We forget that God has so much love to give. So we may trudge on not realizing that God is just around the next bend, so to speak, to pick us up and rejuvenate our souls and bring us out of the doldrums when we neeed His saving grace.

When the sun is shining we know that life is enhanced. It is interesting when people talk of how the weather enhances their moods. When it is gray, people complain, but when the sun it out we are happy that we can see the beauty of the world. It is not that the beauty of the world is hidden when the day is gray, it is just that we tend to notice it more when the sun is shining brightly.

Proverbs 13:9 The good man's life is full of light. The sinner's road is dark and gloomy. TLB

So does that mean that when the weather is gloomy we are more sinners than when the day is bright? Of course not. I think when the day is gloomy it is like God is tesing us to see if we will try to make the world seem brighter by just praying and receiving His love. I guess it is like when we see ourselves as unhappy we may compare it to a gloomy day. But when we are happy we see the world though a different light and quite often a gloomy weather day will not make us feel worse because with Gods love in our life, the gloominess of the day will only make us want to find Gods love more. So you might say that a gloomy weather day is a way for us to grow closer to God by asking God to help make us happy again.

But the important thing to remember here is that God is with us every day, no matter how the weather looks. He is there to guide and give us new insights every day. We just need to pray and ask for this guidance often.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for this day. Please help me to realize that no matter what the weather looks like outside, you are there for me and will guide me in new directions. Or steady my current path if it is pointing in the right direction. Please give me the insight to know what is the right path, and guide me this week as I seek you more often to help me with daily decisions. And Lord, thank you for all your many blessings. Amen.

Benediction: Now, Lord, Bless us in our daily lives. Help us to smell the roses whenever possible, to shine our light on those less fortunate than us, and lead us in the path we should go. For you are the light that keeps our path well lit. Help us to follow it, until we meet you, in a land where milk and honey abound, a place where our most wonderful dreams are fulfilled. Amen.

Hi, my name is Bryan, a messenger of hope who would love to hear from you. God Bless.

© 2005 Bryan Hill