Okay, so it’s an understatement to say that I’m not a big fan of flying…I am working on it, though. But, on our trip out to Dallas, I realized something about turbulence.

We took off in some cloudy weather - of which I am NOT a huge fan - I was disturbed and dismayed by the fact that I was still conscious (my medicine didn’t seem to be working - not a huge fan of that either!), and I was feeling every bump of the cloud-filled sky we were cutting our way through.

After what seemed like an eternity of climbing, I could tell the plane was leveling out - and finally, was starting to feel sleepy (just in time to hear the pilot say that although we had reached our “cruising altitude” he was leaving the “fasten seat belts” light on due to turbulence!) - about that time, I glanced out the window, planning to pull the shade and pretend I was on a beach somewhere…or at least just driving through the mountains…

…but, I digress…

So, as I reached for the shade, I noticed something. I glanced out just before my hand was going to yank the shade closed.

Any of you who read my blog know I have a slight love affair with the sky - I love it, no matter what it does. I love it at dawn, and I love it at dusk…at midnight and during a lightening storm. It is one of the elements of nature that feels, to me, like a personal gift from God. So, as I reached to shut the world out…to try and forget where I was, I glanced at the sky…

We were now on the other side of the clouds. I could understand why it had been so tumultuous - there were so many clouds! They took my breath with their beauty, and for a moment I forgot how much they had terrified me…

…I forgot how I had wished them away just seconds before.

The very thing that had made me want to run…to escape the sickening feeling of bumping and falling, was now so beautiful to me. The thing that had caused me to feel unsafe and even a little desperate was now calming me and flooding me with a sense of safety and understanding…

It made more sense now. We were climbing to a new height - a whole “nother” level, and the bumps and bruises along the way were the only way to break through to the other side. I had to go through the storm to get to see the beauty.

I’ll never forget the way those clouds looked. I had been so frustrated that it was so bumpy when I had asked God to clear the way. I was a little panicked that my medicine wasn’t working…that I wasn’t asleep yet. But, if I had missed the thing that terrified me, I would have also missed the beauty…the gift.

It was like a whisper from God. The bigger and scarier the storm, the more beautiful the other side of the clouds will seem. I needed to be reminded of that. I still need to remember…but, now when I need to be reminded, all I have to do is look up.

I know what the back side of the clouds look like - I can carry that with me for future storms. And, after all, it’s not the “back side” to God. He sees all of it - and He has us covered.

Peace.