Fogging

Standing at the top of the hill, I could see a blanket of fog lying low in the hills this morning. The tops of the trees in their brilliant colors stood above the fog -- reds, oranges and yellows, taller than this gauzy blanket of haze. 


As I walked down the hill, I was breathless at the beauty of the sun’s rays shining through the fog. I could see hundreds of individual rays, their direction, their magnificent size, their beauty. 


Our church has this habit of using the smoke machine for all performances of any kind. It used to be annoying to walk into the sanctuary for a night of worship or a youth production and have the thick layer of smoke envelop me. But it only annoyed me until I understood why the smoke was there. 


Without the smoke, you can't see the dazzling brilliance of the lights. 


Without the smoke, you miss the varying colors, the direction they are shining. 


Without the smoke, you miss the ambiance that the lights add to the dramatic nature of the show. 


And so it is with the fog. When we walk around in sunshine all day with no clouds or fog to cover the sun, we can take the sun for granted. We can appreciate it and acknowledge it, but miss the unique beauty of it. We can miss the dazzling brilliance of its rays and the prism of color it holds. 


We often have fog in our lives – a film of confusion or haze of discouragement. When it comes, it's easy to stare at the fog itself, or focus on the clouds. What we forget is that behind it all is always the Son. Sometimes the fog and clouds merely serve as a backdrop for us to see His brilliance, the direction He's shining, the prism of color He holds and the magnificence of His size. 


The fog provides an opportunity for the sun to show off. And fogging up our lives just a little bit allows God’s Son to show off. He can break through our confusion with a brilliant beam of hope. He can shine through the discouragement with a single ray of love. Or, the can illuminate the whole scene with hundreds of rays at once, shining His glory all over His creation. 


"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn." (Isaiah 60:1-3)