EYE LEVEL WITH THE CLOUDS

We were encircled by lofty mountain grandeur in the Swiss Alps. Down below lay the calm, blue waters of the lake. Between the rugged peaks and the beautiful lake, single clouds drifted by on their way to some undisclosed destination.

As I awoke one morning and walked out onto the balcony, I realized, to my absolute amazement, that I was standing at eye level with the clouds. I had the the feeling that if I called to them they would come over and I could touch them, but I dared not disturb their tranquility. They wandered by and moved on, silently, yet intentionally, it seemed. It was as if those individual clouds had a life and a personality of their very own.

Yes. Those clouds were formed as a natural result of the atmospheric conditions, particular to that locality on that morning, but to me, on that occasion, those clouds were filled with the presence of God. This was another of those first time experiences that left an indelible impression on my mind. The words of the psalmist gave expression to the sentiment of my soul.

"Sing to God. Sing praise to the name of the Holy One. Extol the One who rides on the clouds, whose name is the the Lord". (Psalm 68:4, My paraphrase)

A GLIMPSE AT THE MORNING

I just went outside to look at the morning. That was my intention; not going out to go somewhere else; not going out to accomplish my task for the day, but just to look at the morning. What a beautiful morning it is too. The sun is shinning. A cool breeze is blowing after many days of 100+ temperatures. The mountains stand in majestic silence all around. Not many people are out at this time of the morning. It is quite except for the quartet of birds blending their songs into their own kind of harmony. These words come mind: "This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118: 24) No. It's not Sunday. It's Thursday.


Well, things are changing now. There's the prayer call form the nearby mosque. An airplane drones overhead. The delivery trucks are beginning to make their rounds, and that sound is accompanied by the inevitable noise of traffic. People are going about their regular routines now, completely unaware of the experience I just had. I have a longing to reach to them in the hope that they too may come to know this peace and joy that passes all understanding

A Valuable Lesson

(This story came to me while waiting at the airport in Skopje, Macedonia during the Kosovo refugee crisis)

A young man came to his father one day and said,"I think I'm ready to learn the lessons of life, will you teach me?" The father smiled and said that he would be pleased to help in any way he could. "What lesson will you teach first?" the young man asked. "When the lesson is learned", the father answered, "You will know it".

After a few days the father sent the son to see an elderly man in town, who had a reputation for helping young people along the way of learning the lessons of life. When the young man arrived at the elder's house, the butler asked him to come and wait in the sitting room. After what seemed to be hours, an assistant came in with a message that the elder would not be able to see the young man and that he should come back another day. The young man returned home disappointed and confused.

When his father asked if he had learned anything on the first visit, the son said "No! All I did was just sit and wait." The father said, "Son, you must go again to see the elderly man. He will help you learn the lesson of life." The boy was hesitant, but finally agreed to a second visit.

This time, after what seemed to be hours, the young man was asked to come into the room where the elderly man sat reading a book. After a few moments had passed, the elderly man looked up and peering over his spectacles asked, "Are you learning anything?" Bewildered by the question, the young man replied, "How can I learn anything? All I have done so far is sit and wait." The elderly man chuckled as he returned to his reading, then said to the reluctant learner, "Come back and see me again".

By this time the young man was growing weary of this experience and said to his father, "If I don't learn anything after my next visit to the elder's house, that's it! I'm not going back again".

On the third visit the assistant came in and said that the elder had requested that he come back again sometime time next week. At that, the young man jumped up and shouted angrily, "I've had it! All of this has been a waste of time! I will not come back again!" He stormed out the door and down the street, voicing his frustration so all the world could hear. When his father asked if he had learned anything, the boy growled and closed himself in his room.

Some weeks later, after the young man's anger had subsided somewhat, his father asked the son to accompany him on a trip to another city. Eager to leave his exasperation behind him, the boy quickly accepted his father's invitation,and began packing his bag.

When they arrived at the station, a large crowd was already there, waiting to buy tickets. It was hot. The crowd was noisy and agitated. The children were restless and the babies were crying. As they inched their way to the ticket booth, the young man nudged his father and said, "If the people had been through the experiences like I have had over these past few weeks, maybe they would have a little more patience in situations like this, when all you can do is wait". The father turned and placed his hands on his son's shoulders and looking straight into his eyes asked the lingering question,"Have you learned anything about the lessons of life"? The son stood silent for a moment. Then with a smile and a countenance that assured the father that the light was beginning to dawn, the young man answered, "Thanks Dad. Yes. I think I'm beginning to learn now."

THE WEATHER VANE

The weather vane on top of this barn was different from others in the area. Attached to the stationery support rod were the words "GOD IS LOVE".

A stranger stopped by one day to buy some produce from the farmer's road-side stand and happened to notice the unusual weather vane. Being a skeptic as far as religious matters were concerned, he remarked, "I see the words on your weather vane. Does that mean that the love of God is as changeable as the wind?"

"No. Not at all", replied the farmer. "In fact", he continued,"just the opposite is true. You can see that the top part of the weather vane turns with the changes in the wind's direction, while the words underneath remain still. This means to me that no matter which way the wind is blowing, God's love is unchangeable."

After paying for the small basket of produce, the stranger stood in silence for a few moments, thanked the farmer, then walked toward his car. He paused,looked back at the weather vane and murmured slightly above a whisper,"hmmmmm". The farmer watched the stranger as he drove away and smiled.

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