A Quiet, Sunny Day – Sunday, February 13, 1983
To sit on a grassy hillside bathed in warm sunlight on a quiet, windless day is one of life’s simple pleasures. The calm of the moment brings a quiet, peaceful reassurance to the soul and makes us wonder why life can’t always be like that.
Likewise, perhaps we’ve witnessed the glassy, smooth surface of a lake at sunset and compared that to the wind-tossed waves of a stormy day. “Why?” we wonder. “Why must we have the storms?”
The answer, to those who think about it, is simple: it is nature’s way. It is the self-renewing process by which one creates the other. Without the rains and snows of winter the rivers would soon be dry, and the lakeshores would begin to recede. And so, we learn to take precautions from the storm so we can return on a sunny day to enjoy that which the storm helped create.
Sometimes that which seems most destructive in nature can be of great benefit. On the prairie lands of the arid western United States grow delicate grasses and flowers that provide forage for the wild and domestic herds that roam the land. In time, the grasses are challenged for survival by the stronger and bigger sagebrush and Tamarack trees. But then nature sends what seems to be a destructive fire which blackens the land. With a little help from mankind to prevent erosion, the grasses return more numerous than ever and soon the prairie is more lush and green than before.
Our lives face similar challenges and opportunities. The physical, emotional and spiritual storms that regularly engulf us are part of the self-renewing, learning process that keeps us on the road of eternal progression. Like nature, such storms help clear away the debris that clutter our lives. They prepare us to move forward in personal development. They help open our eyes to new insights and understanding. And they teach us to take precautions so other storms don’t destroy us.
Yes, we all seek for quiet, happy days of contentment. But we must also learn to understand that the storms along the way will make the sunny days—whenever they come more beautiful.
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February 13, 1983
Broadcast Number 2,791