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Cloud Pictures Mimic LifeMy husband, Tom, loves taking cloud pictures. There are never two the same.Sometimes a dark cloud can be eerie and frightening especially when combined with heavy wind. Thunder blasts can heighten that anxiety. Life can also be eerie and frightening. And the thunder life puts out can be enough to destroy hope, trust, joy, and sometimes life itself. Cloud pictures can show us what a storm looks like, but there's no picture that can adequately describe the pain in a heart. Poems may come closest. I wrote the poem, 'The Storm', when life gave me a direct hit - one that almost knocked me off my foundations. THE STORMBlow, blow away breezes. Blow away the past. As snow flies before my eyes, Whirl away the blast. The next stanza begins, Take away the lies wind. Blow them from my heart. Do You Have A Mushroom Cloud In Your Life?Perhaps you've felt like I did when I wrote that poem. Perhaps you feel that way now.Among the deepest mysteries of life is pain. How can a God who loves us so much, allow pain and suffering? We've heard that God sent His Son to die for our salvation, and to give us a place in eternity with Him, free from pain and suffering. 
But What About Now? What About The Mushroom Cloud In My Life Right Now?Why did my son die so tragically? The pain was so intense that it felt as though it would consume me.Why does my husband suffer with damaged disks? What about the child or adult confined for all of life to a wheel chair or worse? You may be saying, "It's wonderful that Joni has used her own disability to help others, but why did it happen?" "And, what about molested children? Abused women? Slavery? Torture? Why did I lose my job? How will I pay my rent?"
Why? Why? Why?We ask WHY...and the answer is not easy. But it is simple.Free Will is the Answer. God did not create us as robots.He created us in His image to love and be loved.Robots don't love. They just obey. The only way to have a love relationship with a person is by choice. And by choice we can also choose to have a relationship with God...with His Son, Jesus. Or not.
"Decisions Are Like Cars. They Take Us Somewhere."That's what I said at my son's funeral. He died of a combination of diabetis and a drug overdose, and I wanted his friends to make a better choice.To not choose Jesus is a bad choice. But it is a choice. We have free will, and that same free will allows us to make both bad and good choices. Like the ripples created in a pond when a stone hits it, our choices impact the lives of others. The alternative is robotism, or tyranny where one person forces another to conform to their will. Yet, even under tyranny, a person has a choice. They can hate or forgive. They can become bitter...or better. One of the most moving stories of forgiveness that I ever heard was that of Corrie Ten Boom who survived Ravensbruck Death Camp. She finished speaking one night when a man came up to her and asked her forgiveness. He had been a guard in the camp where Corrie's sister, Betsie, died.... In my life too, there have been many 'cloud pictures' where I've had to forgive people who have committed 'unforgiveable' offenses and damage to me and those I love. Forgiveness is a choice. And it is a choice that benefits the forgiver (Me! Corrie!) more than the person being forgiven.
Forgiveness does not mean I have to trust that person. Trust is earned. Forgiveness is a gift. The Lord has helped me through unbearable pain, and He has also led me into forgiveness. I wrote The Storm in the midst of deep sorrow as a prayer. Here it is again in total...
THE STORMBlow, blow away breezes. Blow away the past. As snow flies before my eyes Whirl away the blast. Take away the lies wind. Blow them from my heart. Heal me with Your Spirit Lord. Cleanse the bitter part. Cleanse me with Your Word Lord. Blow away the past. As snow before my eyes, Lord, Whirl away the blast. FORGIVENESS In The Midst Of The StormThere is such freedom in forgiveness. Such joy even in the midst of pain. I know because I've experienced it.Corrie Ten Boom said forgiving that guard was the hardest thing she ever did. Even harder than surviving a concentration camp. But she found joy and peace. If we did, you can too.
The Greatest GiftThe greatest forgiveness of all is God's forgiveness of me...of you. If you've never accepted His forgiveness, I hope and pray you will consider making that choice right now of your own free will.
We hope that these thoughts have helped you to come closer to the One who loves you more than you have thought possible; and that these cloud pictures will remind you that while life has dark clouds and even a mushroom cloud or two or three, we can know - really know - the One who left here through the clouds, and will return in the same way.
Click here for Footsteps In The Sand, an example of God's love care for us. We would be honored to pray with you or for you, and to do our best to answer any questions you may have. Just fill out the form below. One day we will see Jesus in the clouds, and all who have received Him will join Him forever! "Riding the clouds, He'll be seen by every eye." Revelation 1:7, The Message If you would like to receive our updates or new pages as they are created, we encourage you to click on the RSS feed at the top left of this page; or choose one of the other options right below RSS. We promise - they won't all be cloud pictures!
Thank you for stopping by. Beth & Tom Goehringer
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