Good Morning Sunshine

“Good Morning Sunshine! ”…

If you work with me, then my early morning, annoying greeting, is probably echoing in your head right about now. You read the title, and you are extremely familiar with my ritual. It is how I greet my students each morning at school.

I have a co-worker who tells me that she always knows if one of my kids was sick, or it had been a long night by how I walk into my classroom.  She says if she doesn’t hear me say “Good Moring Sunshine” to someone before 7:45am, then she knows I need some extra prayer.  Let me go on record and state that I AM NOT a morning person. It is a coffee induced facade necessary to enter the land of 6th grade.

“Good Morning Sunshine,” was the first thing that popped into my head when I walked into the kitchen today.  I noticed that it was absolutely beautiful outside.  My flowers in my flower garden had perked up. Everything outside had been washed and cleaned (Thanks God).  HE was even kind enough to blow away about half of those limbs I cut down Tuesday that are still laying on the ground in my front yard.

Now, I am not a complete whack job.  I don’t ooh and ahh over the morning dew daily.  It is just that after the storm like we had last night, you notice the little things that survived.  The things that you usually overlook.

Around 1:00 this morning I halfway expected Garth Brooks to appear in my living room and start singing  “The Thunder Rolls.”  

 Lindsey and Anna Kate have always been afraid of storms. I hear the first thunder boom and literally within seconds I have two new bed fellows. Last night the girls were crying hysterically,  the house was literally shaking, the lights were flashing , and my husband was..... well...... asleep!  Completely at peace with the storm.

 

It seems like we have been hit with a lot of storms lately.  The weather has been fierce here in Alabama, but I am talking about a different kind of storm.

In the last week I have had so many conversations with people who are hanging on for dear life.  The storms of life are blowing,  and honestly…. it is getting pretty scary out there.

 Death,  divorce, a lonely heart in a far away land,  failing health, relational issues spinning out of control, everything from loss of job to loss of dreams.

   The thunder is rolling.

 As I drank my coffee this morning, God pointed something out to me that may be a clue to it all.

Don’t laugh …. My deck umbrella!

   This deck umbrella is my favorite patio furnishing.  It has a 15 foot diameter.  It is our oasis of shade during the hot Alabama summers. 

 During last night’s storm Lindsey said, “Oh no!  Look at the umbrella, the wind is going to blow it away.”  I told her not to worry, the umbrella was completely safe.  The bottom of this monstrosity is a 200 pound water tank.   It has been designed to stand up to the wind. It has a base that makes sure it remains steady.  I did have to go out into the storm and tie it up the canvass to make sure that the winds didn’t damage it.  Even though there was a chance that the fabric could break,  I knew in the morning my little umbrella would be standing because the foundation is secure.

 I bet you can already predict  where I am going here.   God is the one that the winds and the waves obey.  If our foundation rests in HIM, the storm may damage our canvass, but when the wind stops, we are still here. Maybe a little beaten up, maybe tired from the struggle against the wind, but still standing.  Our foundation is secure in HIM.

I guess I am finally realizing that there will never be a fairy tale existence.  Eden  has been destroyed.   God didn’t promise us days without pain.  Some days are going to be very long.  Some storms may even last for years.   There is no one exempt from the thunder and lightning of this life. 

 The Millraneys are no exception.

Most of you know I have published a book, and am working on others.  I am not sure how many books I will write on my journey, but I know which one will be last. 

 It is called: The Dark Night of the Soul – When the one you love lives with Depression.

 If you know us personally, then you have heard Gary talk about his battle with Depression.  This hurricane is what sent him into his profession of counseling others.  He knows what abyss dwelling can be.  He has felt the pain of the dark night.   He has decided that the rest of his ministry will be devoted to helping others know they are safe and loved when the wind begins to howl.

The book has taken me almost 20 years to write.  I said when I started  the book that I would not publish it until the night had passed.  I would wait for God’s promise to me to be fulfilled. I want the morning!   The sun is finally rising on this storm for our family.  It has been quite a gale, but I think we are finally coming into the light.

That is the thing about storms.  After the night, there is a morning. A beautiful place where we start again.  Clean and fresh and still standing. The storm may be a long one.  You may get  a little torn and tattered, but the sun will rise on another day.

 Sometimes it takes the storm to help us appreciate what…. survives the storm.  Important things in life; things rooted and secure.

I wish I could handle storms like last night the way my family does.   Gary rests knowing he can’t control it.   He has done everything he can to prepare us and protect us, but ultimately he is not in charge of the weather.  The girls, also, have an uncanny way of making it through the worst parts.  As soon as they are with us, they go right to sleep. It is weird ! I am up watching out the window, listening for sirens, turning on the Weather Channel, finding flashlights  and throwing pillows in the bathtub.  I look over and they are completely content to rest in Gary’s arms.  They can hear the wind and see the striking lightning, but in the arms of the father that loves them all they know is they are safe.  They ride out the storm and wait for  his voice to  say, "Girls, the storm is over. You are going to be just fine."

 I guess that is how you do it.   You survive the storm by resting in the knowledge that there is a Father that loves you and will allow you crawl into HIS arms when the wind kicks up.

The ONE who allowed the storm is ultimately in charge of its duration.   You can no more speed up the storms in life any more than you can control the weather.  The storms may be fierce and sometimes long, but there is one thing I have found comforting… all storms end.

 There may be damage, you may have to make some repairs in the aftermath.  But know this, after your night there will be a morning.  Our promise is simple.  Resting in Jesus always produces a new day.   When the sun comes up you will find that the foundation has beautifully held.

 You will be given the grace to start again.  

 Friend, Listen closely!

 It may be quiet, just barely a whispher to your soul, but you will hear the voice of your Father saying,

      “Good Morning Sunshine!   I AM still here. The storm is over.  You are going to be just fine.  Get Up...it is going to be a beautiful day!”