Weather Prognostications

Here On A High Hill today we are expecting mostly sunny skies with just a slight chance of precipitation or fogginess due to "head in the clouds" experiences. No, I'm not talking about outside. I'm talking about my own disposition.

As you know, our family has weathered some pretty severe storms the last, oh, say five or six months. That's a long time to be going through the rain. Ranks right up there with the flood of Noah. But rainbows have been sighted and the sun has broken through once more. Hopefully we're done with all the heavy atmospheric pressures that no barometer on earth could measure!

And what brought on this change of forecast? Well, it was a ray of sunshine found in an ultrasound. Yes, that's right. An ultrasound.

Our daughter invited us over last night to see Baby's picture. He or she was waving and saying, "Hi Gram! See you in late May or early June!" Okay, not really - I didn't see any hands or a mouth - but it was the first real ray of sunshine I've seen in awhile and it definitely made future forecasts a lot better!

While I'm on the theme of Biblical-related weather events (bear with me as I'm not great at transitioning and I didn't want to type a second post again today so I'm lumping this altogether into one big 'un) I thought I'd share an analogy that came to mind.

Forget Noah and move on to Job and Jonah.

When experiencing trials I've noticed that many Christians compare themselves to Job. (The weather-related event in that story was the great wind that killed his children. It's a stretch, but it's the best I can do.) I, myself, was beginning to wonder why God was allowing us to go through such tornados as we've experienced. Were we really such great faith-warriors that He would allow Satan to test us like this?

Um. Probably not.

It now looks like our tale more closely resembles that of Jonah. Job's trials were brought about because of obedience but Jonah's were because of disobedience.

I always feel sorry for other victims. In Jonah's case it was the sailors who were bailing for all they were worth and tossing out anything that would weigh the ship down. (That pretty much describes life here recently.) In the meantime, Jonah lay fast asleep in the hold of the ship thinking nobody else would find out what he'd done. Yeah, right! But lest you think I'm getting too big for my own britches I need to interject a personal comment of "been there, done that, lived to regret it!"

You know the story. Jonah's sin is discovered, he goes overboard, the fish swallows him, he repents, the big fish vomits him upon the beach, and Jonah then does as God had commanded him to do in the first place.

All I'm saying is that things were smelling a little fishy around here. If the air smells of rotten fish there might be a Jonah somewhere nearby.

And as for future weather reports? I'm keeping a sharp eye out for gourds and vehement east winds! I'd like the Jonah comparison to end now. I'm also checking my own self for any remaining seaweed that might be clinging to my garments.

Welcome, Baby! Your Gram is thankful for the ray of sunshine you've brought into the forecast!