In the Fog

The other day Steve and I walked on the bluffs above the beach, and he took this photo. I like it because of the fog. I've always loved fog, at least the physical, cloudy stuff. But mental and spiritual fog I don't care for much. When I first came to know the Lord, my mind was clouded with confusion, doubt, bitterness and uncertainty. Fog can exaggerate some things and camouflauge others. Objects hide in the mist. This was the way my soul felt when I began to read God's word and understand his ways - I needed a lot of help clarifying the parameters of my thinking.  Slowly, he set my thoughts in order, gave me a sense of perspective. As Kathryn mentioned in her post last week, an eternal perspective.

One thing I've learned from living by the ocean most of my life is that sunshine burns away fog. When the day warms up, the clouds usually dissipate. Sometimes we go along and run into a spiritual fog bank. This can happen to even the oldest Christians, and not necessarily because of some wrongdoing - often the trials of life simply leave us not knowing for sure which direction to take.

I am so thankful that we can trust God even when we don't fully understand what is happening in our lives. Paul tells us in Colossians 3 to focus on things above - on things eternal. In eternity I don't think there will be any fog - just the shining light of God's love.

I miss you all - and pray you have a blessed new year - Barbara