[Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Saturday, November 16, 2013

[Paul]

Hello and good day to most of you on this Saturday, although in the South Pacific it's already Sunday morning.  I hope and pray that your day is going well, went well or about to begin.

Lorraine Pintus graces our screen readers and Braille displays today with her article entitled "Thank You For the Sunsets," rendered as follows:

When I look at a newborn baby or see a majestic rainbow arched over a freshly washed landscape, my first impulse is to jump up and down like a high school cheerleader and yell, "Horray!" But the onset of gray hairs encourages a more dignified reaction.  So instead, I simply smile.

The cheerleader in me nearly escaped one evening as I was sitting on the beach watching the sun set.  Awestruck, I marveled at the living painting before me, a canvas of blue sky stretched across the earth.  Wispy, pink feathers danced playfully around a massive orange sun.  Seagulls cried overhead, lifting a wing of farewell to their warm friend.  As if embarrassing by lingering too long, the sun blushed and hastily retreated into the cold ocean.  The sea opened its arms and pulled the sun down as God dipped His paintbrush in fire and set the sky aflame with glorious crimson banners.

It was an eternal moment.  And suddenly it was over.  The ocean flopped a tired wave onto the sandy beach.  The sky signed a lonely breath of wind.  Dusk soaked up the last bit of sunlight.

A few sunburst stragglers sauntered off as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"Wait a minute!" I shouted at them in my mind.  "Didn't you see that sunset? Have you ever seen such splendor? Shouldn't we tell God, Thank you?"

I wanted to shake my joy into them, to run up and down the beach and yell, "Yea God!"; to turn cartwheels in the sand, to laugh and dance and sing.  However, I sat there, immobilized by inhibitions, afraid to make a fool of myself.  Yet King David wasn't afraid of looking foolish.  He danced before the Israelites in an outpouring of praise to God (II Samuel 6:14).

Maybe I'd do things differently if I could turn back the clock.

I imagined myself sitting on the sand just before sunset.  As the fiery colors spread through the sky, I stood and began to applaud.

"Thank you, God!" I shouted.

A couple nearby stared in disapproval.

A teenager sipped a soda and watched me thoughtfully.  Then she nodded in my direction, punched the sky with her fist, and yelled, "Awesome."

Two children dropped their sand pails and sang, "God is so good."

A golden retriever yipped in delight.  Seagulls cried out in happiness.  And one by one, people began to join me in my standing ovation, clapping boldly and loudly.

Back in the present, all was quiet.  The beach was empty except for an old man with a cane, plodding a path through the sand a few yards away from me.  His lips curled upward in a toothless grin.  "Enjoy the sunset?"

Resisting the urge to grab his cane and lead the heavenly band strutting in my heart, I smiled and said, "Wonderful."

As he shuffled by, he looked straight at me and winked.  Suddenly, I knew! Here was another of God's cheerleaders! We shared a moment of silent communion.  His eyes reassured me that throughout the sunset God had listened to our unspoken praise.

And that's the article for today, another one dedicated to someone whom I call "Nature Girl." However I hope you all enjoyed it.

And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, throughout these last days in which we live.  Lord willing, tomorrow there will be another daily thought message.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul