cloudy with a chance of....

So last night was Cruise Nite, not my most favorite day of the year. It started as something cool, people bringing in their old classic cars to show off and sell, but now it has become more of an excuse to party and get drunk than anything. One of the curses of living in a college town I suppose. But after church last night, I wanted to go out and get something for supper. All I had in my house was peanut butter and jelly, which I had had for lunch and didn't really want again. But in order to get to any store in town I would have to cross Highway 30, where all the cruising of the cars happens. Usually my policy on Cruise Nite is to barricade myself in my house until it all blows over, but I really didn't want a sandwich again for supper. So after some internal debate I decided to just bite the bullet and head to the store. The driving was a mess, as I expected. It took me about twice as long as normal to get to the store, and I'm not the most patient driver, and I was hungry. Overall it wasn't a great situation. But as I was leaving the parking lot of the store, I saw something that just about took my breath away.

It was cloudy in the west, there was a storm coming....

but there was a place, where it looked like someone had just taken a handful of cloud and ripped out a chunk. The setting sun was streaming through, a huge blast of orange light bursting through the inky blue clouds. There were other little gaps all around this big hole in the clouds and there was more orange and pink rays of light streaming through.

Vibrant, bold, saturated colors!

The bright orange and pink against the dark clouds was stunning! I wish I had had a camera, or been able to paint it, or something because it was simply incredible, and I'm sure nothing like I'll ever see again! I wanted to just sit in my car and watch it, but I was already moving and couldn't stop in the middle of the intersection.

We had a storm later that night, and I woke up to a gloomy, cloudy morning. It was as I was on my way to church that again I wanted to pull over my car and just stare.
There was a huge cloud bank, hanging low over the town. It was gray, with peaks like whipped cream. It looked like an island floating in the sky, with the snowy points of mountains just breaking through the misty fog that surrounds the island. It was beautiful! As I was driving I thought about how God's splendor and glory can be seen everywhere!
It boggles my mind how people say that all of this just "happened." How can they look at the world around them, and not see the hand of the Creator?
His hand is everywhere! I think we forget that sometimes, that He created everything! And it was created for His glory! And personally I think He loves playing with His creation. That creates a strange mental picture, God playing. But why not? Why can't He have fun with what is His?

...look at all the different animals...

...the thousands of kinds of trees...

...the millions of insects....

I think God has fun with His creation, and that is such a happy thought to me. He is not some judgmental being, sitting up on his throne above with his arms crossed and a frown on his face.
He love us.
He likes us.
He cares about us.
He is involved in our lives.
I think He created these things not just for His glory and splendor, but for our enjoyment as well! What an incredible thought, that God cares enough about us to bless us with things that bring us joy! Whether it's bird watching, or mountain hiking, there are endless ways for us to enjoy God's creation....even by watching the clouds in the sky.
I saw God in the clouds.....