glimpse of glory

The day was dismal. It was the sort of day when you want to hide under the covers with a hot water bottle and a smashing piece of fiction. But it was also the sort of day when things just had to be done. No hiding allowed. So I walked to the store under a canopy of misery. The clouds were depressed so they wouldn't let anything remotely cheerful through. The wind was whipping my hair around my head, my coat was flapping open, and air was whistling between my headphones and my ears, making it difficult to focus on anything but a depressing April afternoon. But my heart saw it before my eyes did. The clouds had parted just wide enough to allow me a brief peek beyond the dreariness. Outside of the canopy of misery was a sapphire sky, brilliantly joyful. I stopped and gaped at this small piece of hope in a sky of hopelessness. I felt sorry for the drivers who were going about their regular Saturday business with no inkling of the cerulean wonder just above the roofs of their metal cages. And I was reminded that no matter how miserable my life may get, there is always hope. Not hope somewhere in the distant future, but a real, present hope. "For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth." (Psalm 71:5) A hope that is always there, despite the circumstances, despite the dreary clouds that overcome my vision at times. I love flying, because the sky is always blue above the clouds. No matter how many clouds cover my life, I know beyond doubt that the sky still sparkles in sapphire beyond my mortal vision. Even when my life seems dreary in comparison to globe-trotting, God is still there, and He is still marvelous. I just have to be willing to open my eyes and gaze in wonder on the marvels He gives.