God’s Lantern: Still Shining Bright
It’s mid summer. Many folks are experiencing intense heatwaves, storms and just plain “bizarre weather.” Headlines flaunt negativity and turmoil. They have a way of making our future look bleak. Sometimes you just need to turn off “the news.” Sometimes you just need to step away and “chill.” Sometimes you just need to look for the light – the light of God’s Lantern.
No matter what transpires in our shook up, crazy world, God’s Lantern will always shine bright. Yes — the world is, indeed, changing. Yet this old world, as chaotic as it may seem at times, still has an abundance of good things – good people – caring people.
It’s easy to get blindsided with the high profile stories of today. It’s easy for other people to take you down the rabbit hole of negativity. Even if you escape the rabbit hole, it’s easy to get side-tracked and forget about the importance of friends, families, mentors, pets, neighbors and so many unseen heroes that make our world a better and safer place.
God’s Lantern is the beacon illuminating a dark and lonely path. It shines on “the good things life has to offer.” It cuts through the cloudy days and stormy nights by clearly shining on the people and events that mean the most to us. It shines on our hopes and dreams.
But here’s the problem. Too many of us get caught up in a rut. Too many of us get overwhelmed by the curve balls life has thrown at us. Some know His light is always there for us, but just ignore it. Other folks just get too darn busy and “forget” how important it is to look for God’s Lantern – look for His light.
Summer is known for it’s “vacation” mode. So now is a great time to take a “mental” vacation. Whether you stay at home, head off to a beach or down to your local pool, make sure it’s not just your body on vacation, but your mind too!
Summer is a great time to relax, refresh and re-boot, it doesn’t have to be a whole week. Even if it’s just for “one” day – that’s ok, as long as you take some time “just for you.”
Re-evaluate your priorities, shove away negative influences and appreciate what you have and what you’ve accomplished. Lose yourself IN yourself! Say a silent prayer of thanks for your friends, family and neighbors. Reflect on the positive things in your life and let go of the things you cannot change – because hey – you can’t change them, so don’t waste your energy – put your energy to better the situations you CAN change!
Life is sunny. As they the old saying goes: Life’s A Beach. And when life’s dark clouds roll in (and at some point they always do), don’t be alarmed. Remember to look for His light, the light of God’s Lantern. His Lantern will never leave you alone in the dark. God’s Lantern is still shining bright for all of us!