Overtures of Grace

STORY BY SILVIA BACCHIOCCHI PHOTO BY KAITY CANCEL DESIGN BY ADWOA TUFFOUR

Overcast skies are often an overture of grace. This may seem paradoxical, but as we conclude our first (and hopefully last!) covid winter, the warming rays of the sun piercing through the once-gray Midwestern sky elicit an indescribable joy.

And the good news is that God is constantly working to brighten our darkest days! He is the Sun of Righteousness who rises with healing in His wings (Malachi 4:2). The darker the day the brighter the smallest speck of light.

One of my favorite ways to brighten a dark day is found in 1st Thessalonians 5:16–18: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

On dark days, I know I need to spend more time in my journal, enumerating the blessings in my life and listing my prayer concerns. Not only does this lighten my burdens, but when I revisit my journal and see God’s countless answers to prayer, my faith is strengthened.

A second way to increase joy is through service, for “those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25).

We can water others by offering a listening ear, a word of encouragement, or sincere praise. So if clouds are overshadowing your joy, try thanksgiving and service, and get out your shades—it’s going to be a sunny day!

Silvia Bacchiocchi has an M.A. in literature from New York University and an M.A. in religion from Andrews University. Her favorite pastime is spending time with her husband Gianluca, a New York lawyer, and their three adolescent kids—Isabella, Gianna, and Enzo. Silvia is working on her Ph.D. in systematic theology at Andrews.

This photo was taken at dawn on the last day of a five day canoe trip through the backwoods of Round Pound, Allagash Wilderness Waterway, Maine.