A Foggy Morning Blessing
“Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him.” (Psalm 32:1 & 2)
The other morning, I awoke early and went into mountains. As I arrived in the Moraine Meadows I was greeted by our Lord with a damp fog that enveloped me completely.
The nearby mountain tops, some climbing to 14,000 ft, were barely visible as the early morning light began to illuminate the eastern sky.
Deep in the meadow I could hear the elk awakening calls… but their shapes were hidden by the fog.
As I paused, I thought it a bit strange because lately I had been praying for God would allow me to see deep into the things around me…
For Him to give me an ability to more clearly describe what He sees and allows me to see on a different level…
For Him to give me His insights into what is seen and unseen.
So… I wondered…
Why the fog?
And now, as I walked forth (camera in hand)…
I sensed… this was different that times before when I have stepped into fog…
For, this morning I saw things I’ve never noticed before.
I remember the nudging of the Holy Spirit…
I remember His quiet voice…“There’s some things to learn in this fog”.
So… I ventured on, cinching my jacket to block the frigid air of the high mountains.
As I meandered into the meadow, frosty grass crackled like panes of glass beneath my feet.
I pursed my lips and exhaled a stream of warm air.
Steam formed and it swirled gently, never dissipating rather clinging to the mist that surrounded me.
Then, I sensed the hand of the foggy haze reaching out… taking me in its grasp leaving a dampness that chilled my arms.
The fog pushed in and out as though it were waves breaking gently onto an imaginary sandy mountain shore.
My vision began to clear as I squinted in the early grey light with growing shades of pick, red and canary… trying to find just a bit of sight through the foamy whitewash.
Again the cloud twisted and turned, lifting itself into the vapor that washed past me.
The cool moisture chilled my lungs as I took it in.
Lifting my hand, I softly swatted at the smoky cloud and it moved, caressing my hand like sand filling crevices… constant and conforming.
This blanket that covered the early morning hours pressed against me, wrapping me tight in its clutch.
This is early winter in the mountains.
Looking over my shoulder I could see the pinhole of light growing in the darkness, forming a single ray of light.
Yes… daylight comes.
With each fleeting second that passed I watched the curtain rise and with it, the dense ocean of fog.
The amber glow of the morning light became increasingly bright as the mist cleared and my skin lost its tackiness.
Soon….
God began taking the blanket of fog…
Moving it in smaller portions into the deep valley…
Then blowing it slowly up the tall mountains…
And folding it neatly to be stored in the heavens.
And…
As I watched and listened to the birth of a new morning I saw with different eyes…
Standing in newfound amazement… I saw clearly again… the tremendous cloak of forgiveness which the Father offers me… offers each of us.
This deep feeling of abiding within the arms of a God who can cover me fully, forget the wrongs I’ve done, and yet warm me completely, brought me to a new level of humility I’ve never known.
So…
As my request was granted…
“There’s a lot more to fog than being blinded isn’t there?” I asked the Father.
And…
I remember His voice dee in my heart…
“Indeed. Took you awhile to notice.”
“I guess was only looking at the surface.”
“There’s so much more to see when you look deeper – squint a bit. Fog is really not just something to inconvenience you when you drive.”
I smiled. “I get that now. It’s a cover. A quilt of sorts.”
“Yes… What else did you see?”
“I saw the movement in the mist. It carried your forgiveness toward me and it washed my fallacies out of sight. It clung to me, touched me physically, tickled my skin.”
“So you saw something in a different light?” The Father asked.
“Yes I did. I could see the thick film before my eyes, yet, my vision was perfectly clear.”
This morning was an exceptional Blessing…
God taught me that winter in the high mountain meadows offers sight to the blind.
He covers us with His mighty love and forgives completely.
I saw that… deep within the cold foggy mist of the Rockies.
I pray that each who read this will share in this Blessing…
And know…
He is ever so near…
Draw close… unto Him.