You Can't Choose Your Sunsets


I love photographing sunsets, particularly those where high wispy clouds glow with shades of yellow, orange and red. I love it when a thundercloud lights up like a ball of fire when the sun's final rays shine on them. I enjoy watching the horizon change colors until the last hint of the sun's light is gone. I do not like it when I go out of my way and spend hours in anticipation and preparation for what I thought would be a spectacular sunset display just to see a wall of gray clouds.

You CAN'T choose how a sunset will turn out but you CAN choose how you respond to it. That is true about all things in life. We all wish we could have more control over nature and life situations but in reality the only thing we can control is our attitudes and reactions to them (before and afterwards).

Yes, we can have a heart of gratitude even when the clouds take over our sunset. Why? Because it is not "our sunset." We truly own nothing and we certainly do not have the power or authority to control nature or our circumstances. 

In the Bible we read that "we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it." (1 Timothy 6:7) 

Everything belongs to God including you and me. For "the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it." Psalm 24:1) 

Each day, each, hour, each moment, each sight, each sound, each smell and every breath are gifts from God. Let us give thanks to the Lord today and praise Him in all circumstances and in all situations, even when clouds cover today's sunset.

Just a side note... although this might not have been a dramatic sunset as compared to others I've experienced, I have never seen so many people stopped and photographing this sunset at the Smoky Mountain's Morton Overlook in all my life. That little sliver of color between the clouds was a powerful sight. Just a little light gives us great joy when clouds set in. So, if you don't SEE the light then BE the light. It will make a difference in someone whose day is overcast and gray.


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