62 and Sunny

At the moment, it's 62 and sunny where I am. The morning sky is beautiful as the sun makes its way to apex. The trees' leaves are still wet with dew as are the rails on the deck. The droplets of water glisten. I took the trash can to the curb this morning. The dew on the grass was cold to my bare feet.

Not everyone has the beautiful morning I have and the prospect of such a perfect day. In southeast Texas millions of people are recovering from a massive hurricane that dumped billions of gallons of water in the form of rain on them just a few days ago. They may notice a clear sky and a comfortable temperature, if that happens to be the case today, but they are focused on something else.

Millions of people living in Florida are in the path of another hurricane that threatens to bring horrible devastation to most everything in its path. They are asking themselves, Do I stay or evacuate? I have family members who are in Arkansas today trying to get home to Florida. They are asking each other, Do we stay here are try to get home?

People in the Pacific Northwest are under a cloud of dangerous smoke from wildfires. The cloud, the residue, the air quality, the threat to property are all concerns for them today.

And these are just a few of the issues people in the United States are facing today. Look at news from around the world and the different circumstances are multiplied by thousands.

It's not 62 and sunny everywhere.

And other circumstances in your life that seem to be perfect don't mean everyone else is having a perfect day. While we all live under the same general circumstances like a morning sunrise, grass that needs to be cut every week or so, death of loved ones, jobs to go to, classes to attend, etc., it's the specific circumstances that attract our attention. And the specifics can vary vastly from one person to another.

My father-in-law died this week. Billions of people didn't know him and his death made no impact on them. Lots of people know someone who knows him and expressed sympathy. Many friends feel sorrow. The family is impacted more than anyone. Even the death of a great person effects people differently. The specifics of the circumstances make the difference.

Every person you see today is experiencing many of the same things you are but they also have circumstances specific to them. That's why some people are having a great day while the person in the next cubicle is having a terrible day. How we respond to people around us is important.

We shouldn't be critical of someone struggling with something we cannot see. We shouldn't be jealous of someone whose circumstance are better than ours. We shouldn't refuse to help others or reject the help others offer.

We should love them and be kind. We should help them see how God is the rock of stability in even the most stormy times. We should praise God in our good times. We should praise God in our bad times. We should trust him always and always express his character to others.