sacred strokes

Driving around last night, I noticed perfect golden outlines in the sky – the sun yearning to peek through, shining around the massive tufts of clouds, and setting the entire backdrop aglow. It was absolutely beautiful, and I remarked to my husband, “They say every cloud has a silver lining – but these ones are golden!” And as the Olympics have been recently reminding us, gold definitely trumps silver.  Of course, that got me thinking so I asked him to stop his truck in the middle of the road so I could get out and take some photos of the scene.

The expression that every cloud has a silver lining is a quite common one, alluding to the idea that even when hardships occur, there is a positive aspect if we search for it. If we look at the situation long enough, from the right perspective, we can discover the nugget of good that resulted for us or for others. As a natural optimist, I love this thought and find it encouraging. Its deficiency, though, is that it’s a very “us” focused idea. A very human thing. If WE can wrap our minds around something in some such way, WE will find peace and comfort when WE see the positive angle of it all. Which is all well and good!   But what about when we can’t?

What about the times when we honestly cannot see any good at all? What about the times where we are convinced that evil has triumphed and all is lost? Those are the times when the golden lining can kick in. The golden lining happens when we totally and completely turn the situation over to God. It is not when He answers our pleas and prayers exactly how we wanted. It is not when we finally see the good in the storm – He may never reveal His plan or purposes to us at all. The golden lining is summed up in Romans 8:28 – “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

The golden lining is simply that deep, inner, overwhelming peace and comfort that God alone can provide. It is that assurance that, even if we never realize how, He can turn even sin and destruction into His good. He has a covenant with His people, we can trust Him in everything, and Jesus has already won for us! Evil has lost, Satan’s time is ticking to an end, and one day, Jesus will return in full glory.

If that isn’t one doozie of a golden lining, I don’t know what is.

Ever hopeful, HLC