That blue though...

Today we went for a family hike and I couldn't get over the intensity of the blue in the sky. I wasn't wearing sunglasses either. It was around noon, with temps in the sixties, no clouds, delightfully calm and serene except for the occasional rush of a mountain biker racing past. The warmth of the sun at somewhere around 7-8 thousand feet lifted an invigorating scent off the dirt trail as well as the pine, flooding my lungs with goodness. I was reminded this is why people love the mountains. I love the mountains. That blue sky though. How does it get so thick and deep in these parts? 

Once we drove away, the sky became the normal light blue sky, high, overarching the wide prairie. 

Sometimes God envelopes His own almost like the gift of a glorious day high in the mountains. And not like a stranger, but as a good Father drawing us in to a place of beauty, rest, security, satisfaction. Sometimes though, my nerves get thrown off balance, and I worry. I battle dark thoughts that could become reality, because who am I to think those things would never happen to me, that I am somehow immune? But in that space, feelings supersede the truth of who I am in Christ- of who He is to me. 

The reminder I needed this week was that the goodness of God is just as real and vibrant as that serious blue I enjoyed today. Most days, the sky may appear hazy, smoggy, clouded over, or the "normal" blue high above the ground I tread. But like mercy and grace, its true color is definitely there, and typically much deeper than I can see or appreciate. One of my favorite airplane trips was when I took off from a city in mainland China and broke through a thick layer of heavy, grey pollution mixed with overcast skies. At thirty thousand feet, or whatever it was, I gazed in awe at the clear blue expanse filled with rays of lustrous light. 

No matter the news that serious treatment is still required for my husband to heal, no matter the route we must take or the outcome, miracles are just as possible, just as much an option in our book. 

"I love you, Lord

For your mercy never fails me

All my days, I've been held in Your hands

From the moment that I wake up

Until I lay my head

Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God."