Its All In How You Look At It

Several years ago, while in the Air Force, I was flying back home from a temporary duty assignment. As we flew above the clouds, it was one of the most amazing sights I had ever seen in my life. The clouds were so thick you couldn't see anything else in any direction except the bright white glistening of the sun. The reflection of the sun was so strong that you needed sunglasses to protect your eyes. As we began to slowly make our way down through the clouds, they gradually covered the windows of the plane from the bottom to the top. Then came the unthinkable. As we broke through the bottom of the clouds we found ourselves in one of the most severe storms I have ever experience. It was as pitch black on the lower side of the clouds as it was bright on the top. After the shock wore off, I began to think of the lessons that could be learned through this. These were definitely storm clouds. There was no denying that. And from man's vantage point on the ground, looking toward the sky, it was a scary sight to say the least. On the other hand, from God's lofty abode, high above the storm, it was majestic. From either side, it was the same storm. So what made the difference? For one thing, God made these clouds and God controlled them. They were designed and placed in that particular location for a reason. A reason that only He knew. Sometimes we just need to remind ourselves that God is in control of all things - even the storms in life. And things look much different from His perspective.