It’s winter here in the northern hemisphere. For over 2 weeks, it’s been overcast and gray. The sun had never once made an appearance the whole time. The snow seemed to blend into the dreary sky. The trees seemed to mourn their nakedness. Even the evergreens appeared ashen against the dismal sky.

But this morning, I saw the familiar orange-yellow reflection on the bedroom wall. I jumped out of bed to look out the window. Then, as if to go out and meet a long lost friend, I slipped on my boots, grabbed my camera, and lunged out the door to take pictures.

Everything was sparkling! The days of muddled mediocrity became a paradise of glimmering, jeweled ice crystals against a deep blue sky. Once again, the snow was pure white and the evergreens their rich, green color.

Thing is, nothing had changed, only how it seemed without the sunlight.

Our lives are like that, aren’t they? What we see isn’t always what is real.

Our sorrow, discouragement, frustration, and disappointment is real. But when the light shines, it takes on a different appearance. It becomes not as dark, not as scary, not as confusing.

The light comes from God.

He sees things very differently than we do.

You just have to believe.