The first time I saw Jesus
I remember as a kid, driving with my mom in the car in the midst of a heavy rain storm. I would be rambling on, talking at rapid speed about school, boys, my glue stick that dried out before my art project was finished and anything else that came to my mind. My mother, that wonderfully patient woman, would simply smile and nod at my chatter. She knew that concentrating on the road and keeping us safe was more important than contributing to our one-way conversation. She continued driving, and I continued talking.
Then in mid sentence, I suddenly yelled out “MOMMY, LOOK IT’S JESUS!!!” I craned my neck over to get a better view of outside the car window. I tried to free myself from my booster seat, but it was to no avail. My mother told me calmly, “Hannah, relax. Jesus isn’t going anywhere! Mommy is going to crash the car if you do not stay in your booster.” “BUT MOMMY I WANT TO SEE JESUS!” I pointed out the window to a cluster of dark clouds. There had just been an awful thunderstorm that caused thick black clouds to blanket the horizon. But there was a spot in the sky that had streaks of sunlight boldly piercing through the darkness. I stared at the streams of golden rays in complete awe.
I imagined Jesus standing on the clouds, surrounded by his heavenly host. He could not see my through the thick layer of clouds so he had to poke holes in them just to be able to see me. I was delighted! Of course, I had no idea that what I was witnessing was a regular scientific occurrence called Crepuscular Rays of Sunlight. If you had tried to explain that to me as a 6 year old, I would have completely zoned out. But now that I am older, and more capable of understanding the scientific explanation to “Jesus in the clouds” I do not think it really would matter to me. Technically isn’t God everywhere at all times? He is omnipresent and all powerful. That has never changed. I would rather just be reminded of God’s presence in my life, and His everlasting love.
Every time I see those Crepuscular Rays of Sunlight, I smile and remember to thank Jesus for my life. I remember that He really is everywhere at all times, it is just during the dark thunderstorms of our lives, when He is even more evident to us. During the sunny days of our lives, where the thunderstorms are far from thought, we do not think twice about the sun shine that warms our faces and sustains our bodies. But during the rough times, where divorce and brokenness and poverty plagues our lives, we finally look up to the Lord in desperation, for we know he alone can uphold us.
In John 1:5, it says “And the light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.” If we remember that no darkness is stronger than His light, we won’t be scared of the storm.
