After the Storm- (This was written June '09 but, I thought I'd share it)

As I drove to the park to take a morning walk, I couldn’t help noticing the beauty that surrounded me.  It seemed a bit ironic because just several hours earlier there had been a fierce rainstorm.   Now, however, the morning dew adorned the grass, the trees, and the leaves producing the most brilliant shade of green.  I took a moment to stop and thank God for the magnificence that He was allowing me to appreciate.  I felt particularly loved by God because green is my favorite color and He had really outdone Himself this morning.  I DO realize that grass, trees, and leaves have always been green but, for some reason, this morning God had made them just a touch greener for ME!  I arrived at the park and enjoyed a very refreshing walk.  During my walk, I took several moments to ponder something I believed that God was trying to show me.  You see, earlier this week, I began a “God Loves Me” journal.  I started recording one way each day that God manifested His love toward me.  
As I continued to walk, God revealed a very fascinating truth to me.  I could almost feel Him lean down and gently whisper in my ear, “I don’t just love you, Erica, as someone recently told you, I am simply crazy about you.  Did you see that fantastic shade of green this morning?  That was for you…but…it DID take a rainstorm to produce that.  That is exactly how beautiful and magnificent I want to make your life; however, it may take some very intense storms to get your life the perfect “shade of green” that you love so well.  Won’t you let me do that for you?”
How many times had I missed out on the beauty that God wanted to work in me because I was so intensely focused on the storm?  What I saw as devastation was actually the way that God was working to produce such stunning beauty.  I am reminded of the verse in Isaiah, “…to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for heaviness…”  God most certainly is good…ALL THE TIME!  “Thank you, Lord, for taking what we, in our humanity, see as the ‘bad’ and transforming it into your heavenly beauty.  You are so wonderful, God.  Oh, and, you know what?  I’m pretty crazy about You too!”