Does Remembering January Make July Cooler?

I glanced at this devotional written last January. Maybe recalling the chilly weather of the winter days will provide a refreshing breeze - actually, we haven't had an unbearable summer. Plus - the devotional carries a much deeper message than weather and fluctuating temps.

Bob and the Power Outage

Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You. Psalm 139:12

                The power outage created anxiety for my elderly mother over her frozen food stuff. She knew it would remain frozen in the cold, January weather for a while, but she began stewing with questions like, “What if it is off for a week?”

I responded, “Let’s take it a day at a time and then reassess.” I tried to reassure her that the rural electric crews excel at restoring power - even in the worst weather.

 Each evening Bob, the lovable, orange and white Manx cat, came in to play in the hallway. After playing, he was ready to eat a bit and curl up in his cushiony bed on the back porch.  Without electricity, I thought I had better let Bob come in before darkness fell since I might be unable to find him in a dark house if he ventured from the hall.

Bob came in unfazed and quite comfortable in the dimly lit hallway. He batted his ball up and down the hall. As I sat and watched him, Psalm 139: 12 came to the forefront of my thoughts.

The last phrase of the verse lingered in my mind as I observed Bob enjoying himself in the shadowy corridor. He behaved as though light flooded the hall. Knowing how much better cats’ vision is in low light; I thought about God and darkness.

When David wrote Psalm 139, he explained succinctly that darkness and light were the same to God. How we fear what is unseen in the darkness! Anything could be in the dark, intent on harming us.

In the “dark” seasons of our lives, we fear what is unknown. What will be the outcome of an illness? Will the strained relationship strengthen and flourish or weaken and dissolve? In hazy, uncertain times, trusting God becomes difficult.

Times of light, certainty, and surety are identical in God’s realm to the situations when darkness, perplexity, and insecurity pervade every aspect of our thoughts and daily living. At moments of uncertainty and fearful indecision, we pray for faith to trust Him in the darkness since only He sees it just like light. Our trust in God shines light into our dark days.

Bob next to his new favorite piece of furniture -a foldable step stool. Bob
loves this stool since it has become part of his nightly routine. He knows that
he gets to play for around 30 minutes indoors. After about 25 minutes, he moves
to the stool, hops on it, and "rides" it to where I feed him a predetermined
amount of catnip treats. I always tell him when we are on the last two treats. He
seems to understand. What pampered pets we Americans have! My ancestors
would probably not understand.