Friday, September 24, 2010

Lifting the fog!

I like the fog. Fog gives me hope.  Hope is good.

I wake up early in the mornings.  My routine has pretty much been the same for the last 9 months or so.  I wake up between 5 and 5:30.  I usually make some coffee and open up the blinds in our living room, even though I know it will still be dark for another 45 minutes.  As I open the blinds, I will normally see nothing but thick dense fog in my backyard, and in most of the surrounding area.  I live in Los Osos, so fog-less mornings are rare.  I love the fog.  I know for some it's depressing, but for me it's renewing.  Why?  Because fog is never permanent.  The fog is always lifted, or burned off by the sun and you are usually left with beauty that can only be revealed by having the fog there first.  After I stare out the window for a few minutes, and my coffee is ready, I sit in my chair that faces our window which looks out over our neighborhood, through some trees, and onto a very small glimpse of the bay and ocean.  I generally read, pray some, think about my family, and what my day will bring, and watch the fog disappear as the light begins to take over the darkness.

Sometimes the fog doesn't burn off right away.  Some people refer to those days as depressing.  It refreshes me.  It gives me something to look forward to, knowing that the fog never lasts forever.  Fog is always temporary and always brings some good even though we may not see it.  Grass and flowers that need gentle care are watered by the misty fog.  Certain small ground animals are protected by the fog as they surface without the risk of being snatched up by a bird.  The fog isn't always immediately pleasant, but always beneficial and it always gives me hope.

Hope is good.  What gives you hope?


For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. Romans 8:24-25