It had been raining on and off for days. The
gray, overcast clouds felt more like the gloom of Winter than the joy of
Spring. The ground was saturated from the downpours. The grass in my
backyard was swampy and large patches of mud had grown in the well
trafficked areas where I walked my dogs. But on this morning I suddenly
saw a break in the clouds. The beautiful, rising sun was sliding out
from behind them and playing a delightful game of peek-a-boo with the
earth. I longed to feel its warmth on my face again so I slipped on my
shoes and headed outside.
Just as I got there the sun slid behind
another cloud. I frowned when I saw it but noticed that a few sunbeams
were still shining through on the grass down the hill from me. I
started to run towards them before they disappeared. That is when it
happened.
Suddenly, I felt my feet go out from under me
as I slipped on a muddy patch. Down I went into the brown slop. My
jeans were filthy. My shirt was stained. My hands were covered with
the goo. “Ugh!”, I said. I wiped my hands in the grass and shook my
head. Just at the moment, however, the sun broke through again. I lay
in the mud and looked up at its light. I smiled when I saw it shining
on a determined little dandelion growing in the middle of the mud. Then
I laughed and felt the light coming on within me too. It was certainly
worth another shower and an extra load of laundry to see this sight.
Sometimes we need to slip in the mud in order
to see the flowers. Sometimes we need to be flat on our backs in order
to look up to Heaven. In this life God gives us both the sunshine and
the rain. It is up to us, though, to bloom through the mud and to shine
through the clouds. May your love always shine bright and may the
flower of your life become a meadow.
Joseph J. Mazzella
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.