Influence

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It has been a long while since I have posted anything here. I have been busy completing three years toward my B.A. in English and my senior year is underway. My current class (Creative Writing) has finally given me the space to take off the tight harness of academic writing rules, and it feels SO GOOD!! After reading my first assignment, Mom and Daddy gave it their thumbs up and suggested I make it a blog post, so here it is. It is my story and their story. It's a little longer than my usual posts, but as with everything I have ever posted here, I pray it encourages you to run "up the sunbeam to the sun" (C. S. Lewis). "Follow my example,  as I follow the example of Christ." 1 Corinthians 11:1 NIV I sat above them on the stairs. Looking down through the window-like openings in the partition between the living room and the stairway, I listened to the basketball players, football players, baseball players, wrestlers, track athletes, both the lettermen

Chasing Rainbows



"When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds,"

God delights in putting examples all around us that can speak to us if we're listening.  Last week I drove all over an unfamiliar neighborhood, possibly even breaking a few traffic rules to find a spot where I could capture this breathtaking rainbow!

There is no . . .

height without depth,
dawn without dark,
found without lost,
reunion without parting
victory without defeat,
rainbow without storm.

We would never know how high the mountaintop is unless we had been to the valley.  Our hearts would not thrill to the first rays of sunrise without experiencing the long dark night.  If we had never known the panic of a missing child (even if only for a moment), we would not know the utter euphoric relief of the moment of finding that lost little one.  Without the ominous black-clouded drama of the storm played out in a wild sky, we wouldn't know how much the rainbow's promise means.

When I was growing up, one of my favorite things to do on the weekend was to watch ABC's Wide World of Sports.  I loved the opening words spoken by Jim McKay, "Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sport... the thrill of victory... and the agony of defeat... "  Who could forget the scene of that hapless ski jumper and his terrifying wreck that accompanied the phrase, "the agony of defeat?"  The fact is that in sports, and in life, if there was no "agony of defeat," there would be no "thrill of victory" either.  What you may see as inevitable defeat is only the setup for your comeback story, and everyone knows that great comeback stories finish with equally great victory celebrations!  

Life's most intense joy is most distinctly outlined
against the backdrop of it's deepest struggles.
It is in the contrasted lows and highs,
darkness and light,
defeats and victories
we experience God's greatest beauty.

I don't know who you are or what you might be facing.  I do know that there are people going through storms of many kinds right now--you are not alone!  I just want to encourage you with the thought that in God's forecast for the lives of His children, every storm ends with a rainbow!  I pray that we will learn in the storm to see the black clouds as the perfect backdrop for the blindingly beautiful rainbow that is surely on its way!



Have you chased any rainbows lately?
How have you experienced God in the contrasts of life?

__________________________________________

I'm joining Ann Voskamp in her counting of the multitude of gifts God bestows everyday!
I hope you'll join in if you haven't already!


holy experience

#131-145

131.  Cooperation
132.  Collaboration
133.  The 4 of us, TOGETHER over coffee, work, reading, dreaming, just being US
134.  The echoes of the first Thanksgiving where one of my ancestors gave thanks
135.  Traditions that keep faith and family close
136.  Grandma's Brownie Recipe
137.  Passing on recipes and how-to's to She-So-Sweet because she asked
138.  The smell of Hero Husband's frying turkeys and the taste of the one he smoked
139.  The invention of the telephone that lets me talk to Mom & Daddy 1200 miles away
140.  My sister-in-law rescuing me from a frustrating conversation 
141.  That I didn't have to go anywhere on Black Friday
142.  Easy holiday weekend mornings when everyone can sleep in
143.  Seeing Drummer Boy thrive and excel in his job
144.  A voice on the other end of the phone line who knows what you should do
145.  The way he and I came out of the sermon with the same thoughts

Comments

  1. beautiful picture, thank you for going the extra mile to capture it! and beautful thoughts, too.

    i'm thankful for the counting. wonderful list. and this praise:
    The 4 of us, TOGETHER over coffee, work, reading, dreaming, just being US

    together. wonderful :)

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  2. I love, love, love this... "Life's most intense joy is most distinctly outlined against the backdrop of it's deepest struggles. It is in the contrasted lows and highs, darkness and light, defeats and victories we experience God's greatest beauty." So very true. Beautiful post!
    Blessings,
    Heidi

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  3. Shaunie Friday @ Up the SunbeamNovember 29, 2010 at 9:11 AM

    Thank you -t-,
    Isn't "together" a wonderful word!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Shaunie Friday @ Up the SunbeamNovember 29, 2010 at 9:12 AM

    Thank you so much Heidi! So glad you enjoyed this!!
    Shaunie

    ReplyDelete
  5. "just being us" that is an awesome thing to be thankful for!

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  6. Shaunie Friday @ Up the SunbeamNovember 29, 2010 at 12:11 PM

    It sure is Melissa--sometimes the most fundamental things are easy to take for granted but matter the most when we notice!
    Shaunie

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  7. EVERY single time I see a rainbow, it delights. And promises. And reminds. :)

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  8. Shaunie Friday @ Up the SunbeamNovember 29, 2010 at 1:21 PM

    Doesn't it though?!! It simultaneously shouts and whispers, "I promise!" Thank you so much for stopping by!
    Shaunie

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  9. Hi Shaunie! I just discovered your blog via Ann V's and I just had to tell you how much your beautiful post meant to me. God used it to speak fresh hope and joy into my tired soul. Thank you so much for sharing! God bless!

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  10. Shaunie Friday @ Up the SunbeamNovember 29, 2010 at 2:23 PM

    Dear, Dear Susan! What a precious gift you give me to let me know that it touched you. You, sweet sister, are why I blog--every post goes out with a prayer that it will somehow find it's way to someone who will be blessed and encouraged by my little words and pictures. I have a tired soul too these days, so imagine my joy at this unbelievable rainbow--I nearly drove off the road craning my neck to keep it in sight! I am so humbled that God used me to pour hope and joy into your heart--you just poured it back into me! Praying for you!
    In His Grip,
    Shaunie

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  11. # 141.

    Me either!

    Thanks for sharing your grateful heart. Your thankfulness is contagious.

    ReplyDelete

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