Storms on the sun. Right off the bat, that sounds like the makings of a new disaster or sci-fi flick. But, in this case, the results are beautiful. As in an incredible polar light show in the sky last week - with scientists predicting a lot more.
There were pictures all over the news last week of these spectacular colors painting a breathtaking scene in the night sky. It was the "northern lights" - also known as the aurora borealis. It's worth checking out on the Internet. I guess the approach of solar flares from the sun's recent turbulence just added a whole new richness to these lights that have amazed people for centuries.
Those pictures triggered my brain and brought back a special family memory. Actually, it seemed anything but special at first. My wife and three children had accompanied me on a ministry trip to Alaska. I was excited when they first invited me to come to Alaska to speak. I pictured those scenic summer cruises they do up there. Then I found out the invitation was for February. Oh, well.
We had a fantastic time up there - so I was a little bummed when my wife and kids had to go back for school while I stayed a few more days to speak. A seasoned missionary pilot was going to fly them out, and that gave me confidence.
My first "uh-oh" was when he asked me to help him push his airplane out of the hangar and onto the ice-rutted runway. Never pushed a plane before. Second "uh-oh" - that my loved ones would be in a plane on a solid sheet of ice.
After radioing he had "five souls on board," the pilot started down the runway, playing one engine against the other to navigate the ice underneath. All the while they were feeling every bump and closing on a large stand of Alaska-size trees at the end of the runway. It was, to say the least, nerve-wracking.
At what seemed to be the last possible moment, the pilot lifted off, barely clearing the trees. Next came a rodeo in the clouds, as the plane was shaken by air currents and merciless winds. In the back seat, three speechless children, six saucer-size eyes.
And then it happened. They cleared the clouds and gasped at what they saw. There was the unforgettable sight of the northern lights - almost where you could reach out and touch. It was a moment of indelible beauty that few ever get to see. Suddenly, the bumps were forgotten - the beauty on the other side was overwhelming.
We've had a lot of flights like that in our life - a rugged journey that led to a beautiful destination. The financial struggles that brought us closer to God and each other - and showed us how creatively and faithfully He provides. The ministry battles that set the stage for us to see a God of miracles. The medical crises that caused us to re-treasure the person we almost lost and reset life's priorities.
In the inscrutable ways of a loving God, it is the bumpy road that often leads to the most beautiful views. He takes you on a scary flight so ultimately you can see His glory in ways many never get to see. Yes, "in all things God works for the good of those who love Him" (Romans 8:28). The much-hammered Apostle Paul put the troubles and the payoff on the scale and weighed it this way: "Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed..." (Romans 8:18).
I guess we should learn something from the way we all come into the world. Labor...baby. Painful process...beautiful result. "A woman giving birth to a child has pain...but when the baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy..." (Jesus - John 16:21). While I've never been in labor and never will be, my wife and my daughter will testify to the fact that the pain lasts a short time, but the beauty lasts a lifetime.
Today, it's the rough ride. Tomorrow, the lights.
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