Purity 238

Purity 238 10/14/2020

Good morning,

Today’s photo of blue skies and the distant view of the Catskill mountains comes from a friend who got some great shots from what I suspect to be from the hills near the Olana state historic site outside of Hudson NY. If you ever visit the Hudson area, be sure to visit Olana to see Frederic Church’s mansion and hike the trails for spectacular views of the Hudson River, the Rip Van Winkle, and the Catskill Mountains.

I share this photo because I am just loving that clear blue sky after having a day of rain in my neck of the woods yesterday. There is just something about the clarity of a blue sky that can give you peace and raise your spirit in joy.

In our confusing world and the trials of trying to find your way, it is a blessing when you experience a moment of clarity, when you have a revelation or an appreciation for something you either didn’t know or forgot and took for granted.

In my childhood I remembered real moments of peace at church. In my childlike faith, I never doubted the reality of God and believed everything about what I learned about Jesus and the knowledge of good and evil.

As I grew up though the lines got blurred as I wanted to do what I knew was bad but somehow felt good. Instead of just going with what I knew was right, I redefined the rules. My philosophy was that the only bad thing about doing bad was getting caught so I just learned to get away with the bad things I wanted to do.

That worked for a while but eventually I had the get rid of God and Jesus too. Asking for forgiveness continually and dealing with guilt was a burden that was more easily handled by doing away with God all together.

With years of running away, coming back, and running away again, I was very thankful when God stopped me and showed me the truth.

My ideas about him were wrong. I found out He loved me and forgave me all my sins by just putting my faith in Christ. And it was only from knowing that love and forgiveness that I could ever have peace.

It was a moment of clarity like no other. It gave me new life in an instant.

Since then the revelations of who God is and what He’s like keep on coming and I continually stand in awe of how good He is.

So seek those moments of peace and clarity, life is to be lived and explored. In all my wandering and searching, I ended up more or less right where I started: knowing that God is real and there is peace and joy to be found in His presence.

God bless you all!