One thing I like about the mid-west are the changes in the weather. I remember when we lived in Reinbeck, Iowa they always said if you don’t like the weather, wait ten minutes and it will change.

Of course there is a hidden assumption that you will like the change that occurs or perhaps this is just an optimistic point of view, that whatever comes next will be better than what was.

Whether you like lots of changes in weather in a short amount of time or not we don’t get to choose what the weather will be, we can only prepare for what might be.

This is also an example of life itself. I can choose how I will react to what unfolds before me in my life, but I can’t always choose what will happen. This is a good reason for me to look for somehow I can cope with the unknown.

One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 104. This Psalm tells us who is charge in this world. It is helpful for me to know that I am not in charge. It also challenges me when I consider all that is not going well. If God is in charge why are so many devastating events occurring? I don’t understand this and can only ask the question, God where are you when my good friend is diagnosed with cancer or the ending of the drought in California ends in such a horrific way?

What part have we played in all of this if at all? How have we taken care of our world and where have we put our resources? Do we plan for those unexpected disasters or do we use the knowledge and resources we have to battle debilitating diseases?

I think the difficult part is that we want to be able to make choices with how we live our lives. We want to be able to chose where we will spend our resources, but we don’t always have the wisdom to make the best choice.

I think all we can do is learn from our experience and pray that our intentions are pure. We want free will, we don’t want God to dictate what we should choose or do, but we need to then ask God to help us make good choices. Not so we will earn favor with God, but so that the world will be a better place today than it was tomorrow.

It also means we need to celebrate those days which are good, be it good in the weather or in the battle to fight disease or disaster. Let us keep the view that life can be a great celebration if continually strive to be the people God has made us to be.

Walking along the beach with you and hoping for a better tomorrow today.

A View from A Beach, one of the many grains of sand in the universe.