Soul Kitchen

I don’t know if you’re anything like me but when I get a book I immerse myself in it and get so involved in all the character’s lives that I sometimes forget about my responsibilities around me. It usually takes me 2 days to read through a good book – breaking only for meals and attending to the kids’ needs. I take these days the odd time to treat myself to some down time.

I just finished reading Karen Kingsbury’s book “Just Beyond the Clouds.” It’s about 2 brothers – one with Down’s Syndrome – the other with a broken heart of a wife who died of CF. Both find their chance at love in their own way but the biggest part I took with me from this book is the Title: “Just beyond the clouds.” Carl Joseph, the brother with Down’s falls in love with a girl with Down’s named Daisy. Daisy’s afraid each time the rain comes that she’s going to melt like the wicked witch in the Wizard of Oz. What comforts her is when Carl Joseph shows her that just beyond the dark clouds there’s sunshine.

Isn’t that how it can be in our life here on earth? We can go through a rough spell and things can seem so dark. I had that this past week where for 3 days I cried non-stop. Anyone who asked me how I was doing watched me break down in tears and crumple to pieces. I had no explanation for the tears other than the fact that I was tired and overwhelmed with all the things that needed to get done in the week. I certainly felt the dark clouds around me. I found it hard to put one foot in front of the other. When I read this book I was glad for the words of encouragement that there was sunshine… just beyond the clouds.

Romans 12:12 says “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Affliction can be the clouds in our life. Anything that stops us from seeing past them to the beauty of the sunshine – the hope we are to be joyful for. Prayer is the bridge that will carry us through the clouds to see the rays of sunshine.

I don’t think I’ll look at clouds the same way again. I hope I’ll always know and be able to see the sunshine above them.

What clouds hinder you in your daily walk? Do you have days where you can’t see the sun and what do you do during these times? Let Romans 12:12 be a reminder of where to put your hope.