Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
It is a balmy spring day. The sky, brilliantly blue, is dotted with an endless array of fluffy, white clouds. Shepherding winds drive them along like so many sheep in an azure pasture.
My brother, Bill, and I lay down on our freshly mowed lawn, breathing in the sweet fragrance of the grasses. We kick off our shoes and indulge in one of our favorite childhood passtimes - cloud watching!
"Look! I see a dog's face in that one!"
"Where? I don't see a dog. Oh, wait, yes, there it is!"
"It's changing shape. I wonder what it will look like next?"
"I hope it's not a scary monster face."
We chat and point and laugh as we watch the continually morphing pictures in the clouds. Better than any movie we could see. A bunny, an elephant, a giant, a car, an eagle . . . a veritable parade of images before our wondering eyes.
So high up. So far away. Yet, in their friendly shapes, Bill and I feel close to them, as though, if we tried hard enough, we could reach up and touch them. And, they would come down and play with us and be forever friends.
"Oh, wow! Look, Bill! I see the face of Jesus! Do you see it?"
Bill squints and his gaze follows the direction in which I'm pointing.
"It does! I see his beard, the flowing hair, the eyes . . ."
We closely follow the cloud as it rides across the heavens.
"Oh, no, it's changing," Bill laments. "He's fading! Jesus is going away."
"It's okay, Bill," I assure him. "It's just a cloud. The real Jesus will never go away."
~
Are you a cloud watcher?
Will you pray with me?
We are so thankful, Father, that You, unlike the shape-shifting clouds, never change. You are the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. No matter what changes we are facing in our lives, help us to always remember that your mercy and faithfulness endure forever. Amen.
I love cloud-watching. I think of it as watching puffs of God's breath.
ReplyDeleteOh, Glynn, I love your description of clouds! Wish I had thought of that. :)
DeleteThanks so much for visiting.
Blessings to you!
Hmm..at least we had it for sometime :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by today, Jerly!
DeleteYes, ever-changing clouds . . . remind us to be present and happy in the moment.
Blessings to you!
AMEN - lovely prayer.
ReplyDeleteHe is truly always with us.
Thanks for stopping by, Me!
DeleteSo glad you liked the prayer today. And, yes, He is with us ever and always.
Blessings to you!
This is lovely, I enjoy how you tie in the childhood story as well. Yes I used to love watching the clouds too, do children even still do this anymore?:) God bless and have a wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by today, Colleen!
DeleteI'm glad you enjoyed today's post. I don't know how many children still do this today, but I know I engaged in this activity with my own two when they were growing up. I'll have to make sure my granddaughter learns to look at cloud pictures, too. :)
Blessings to you!
I always thought we could touch the clouds and eat them too...
ReplyDeleteI like watching the sky but we did this more at night for recreation. Perhaps, I could do this while I travel for work :)
I pray with you. I do thank the Lord for His constant love.
Thanks so much for visiting today, Melissa!
DeleteI love your image of eating the clouds - like the sweetest cotton candy ever. I hope you will never tire of looking at the heavens and marveling in God's creation and His steadfast love.
Blessings to you!
I just shared a book called Dog Heaven with a friend who, like me, recently lost her canine best friend. In the book, it shows God watching over the dogs as they take naps on soft cloud beds. So sweet. So yes, today I am watching clouds.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Galen, for stopping by today!
DeleteOh, what a sweet image you have shared here. Know I am praying for you in this time of loss.
Keep watching the clouds . . .
Blessings to you!
Martha, so very true! So many times I have watched the clouds and then watched the figures fade away. But Jesus will always be with us, even when we fear He has gone...He is always present! Great post ☺ Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by, Mary!
DeleteYes, what comfort we can take in knowing Jesus will always be with us, no matter what.
Blessings to you!
Hi Martha:
ReplyDeleteYa know what I zeroed in on w/this column, Martha? Not so much cloud watching but this experience:
I spent the bulk of my childhood living w/my maternal grandparents when my Mom moved back to Lisbon, Connecticut. My grandfather was the most significant male figure in my life during my formative years. Anyway. one my most cherished memories is after dinner and my bath, (in the summer) (it was dark by then) I'd sit outside w/my grandfather on a chaise lounge and play the airplane game. Grinning from ear to ear even now recalling this.
Each of us would look up in the sky and the 1st one to spot the ubiquitous lights as they flew by would shout out:
Airplane
Those were such special days for me.
--
Chris
Thanks so much for visiting, Chris!
DeleteWow! What a wonderful memory you have shared here. Your grandfather sounds like he was a very loving, caring man and a blessing in your life. Glad this post stirred up some happy recollections.
Blessings to you!
Oh! I too have watched the clouds when young....wonderful pass time. Nice reminder.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Janu!
DeleteYes, cloud watching is such a marvelous pass time. I love living in the forest, but I do miss being able to see clouds from my deck.
Blessings to you!
my kids do this so many times...it is dangerous when I am driving! if it is a really good cloud image and they are all excited, I start to look....worse than texting and driving!
ReplyDeletesimple fun though, isn't it?!
Thanks for stopping by, Annmarie!
DeleteSo glad your kids enjoy this activity with you. And, it can be so distracting when driving. Be careful out there! :)
Blessings to you!
Such a lovely way to pass the time with a loved one! :-) Your prayer was wonderful. Thank you for the wonderful reminder, that regardless of what we're going through, our God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I stumbled across your blog, recently. God bless you!
Paulette
Thanks so much for stopping by, Paulette, and welcome!
DeleteYes, it is such a wonderful way to rest and relax; the clouds are so peaceful . . .
I'm glad you found my blog. Great to have you on board!
Blessings to you!
Hi Martha!
ReplyDeleteWhat a delightful memory!
I used to cloud watch too.
Dinosaurs...genies...saw all kinds of creatures.
But you're right about Jesus, the only constant.
Thanks for visiting, Debra!
DeleteUsed to? Is grown-up life getting in the way? :) It sure can for us, can't it? I do find my peace in knowing that Jesus is always there, even when I don't feel it inside. Just knowing always serves to bring me around.
Blessings, my friend!
I have ALWAYS done that and still do!!! I always try to identify shapes and faces in the clouds
ReplyDeleteIt's a wonderful pass time, isn't it? :)
DeleteThanks so much for visiting, Nikki.
Blessings!