It was late afternoon; the storm had just subsided, and my wife and I were driving home after dropping off the grandkids.
Once on the open road I glimpsed up and saw beautifully formed cumulus clouds towards the East blanketing the setting sun. ‘Look!’, I said to Jenny, ‘every cloud has a silver lining’ pointing to the lining of sunlight at the bottom of the huge cloud mass. It looked like the finely stitched silver trimming on the hem of a couturier designed garment.
Every cloud has a silver lining has been a familiar phrase for as long I can remember, but only recently did I research its origin. The phrase is used to convey the idea that, no matter how bad a situation might seem, there is always some good aspect to it. It is often used as an encouragement to someone who is overcome by some difficultly and is unable to see any positive way forward.
[Photo: Media from Wix]
Apparently the first occurrence that expressed that notion of the ‘silver lining’ came in The Dublin Magazine in a review of the novel Marian, or a Young Maid’s Fortune, by Mrs S. Hall, published in 1840, when it was expressed by the character in the book that ‘There’s a silver lining to every cloud’.
It was much earlier in 1634 when the author John Milton in his book Comus first penned the phrase, ‘A stable cloud turns forth its silver lining on the night’. Again, as part of a literary review in 1849, the more familiar saying, ‘every cloud has a silver lining’ emerged.
While today’s interpretation may focus on just putting up with or not feeling hopeless because difficult times always lead to better days, as difficult days are like dark clouds just passing by, such a simple interpretation can be frustrating and considered unrealistic. If someone is in a rut seemingly unable to get out of troubling times, it can lead to a state of depression at best or it can lead to a sense of hopelessness with suicidal thoughts, even suicide, at its worst.
It is true and inevitable that better days will arrive as nothing on this earth is ever permanent, however I believe the precondition for ‘these better days’ is having a mind-set of positivity, sprinkled with hope, and believing with a faith mightier than our circumstances. Better days won’t simply arrive if one takes an attitude of ‘doing nothing’ and hoping for the best, mournfully exclaiming “Que sera, sera. Whatever will be, will be!”.
Having hope, even a glimmer of hope is key. Hoping is an action word! Hope is the fuel that propels faith. So, what then is faith? Faith is being sure that the things we hope for will come to pass, even if we do not see it in the present. Therefore, if we have the hope and faith to believe that we will overcome our circumstances, we are in fact ‘half-way’ to realizing our victory over our ‘difficult days’.
The other half is made up of several actions that we need to learn and do.
The first is to ‘set our minds and keep them set on what is above’. This Biblical verse is taken from the Letter to the Colossians, chapter 3:2, written by the Apostle Paul. In it he references life’s everyday challenges happening around us which can easily affect our mind and emotions. What Paul advocates is to rise above these matters by setting our minds beyond the earthly realm, in other words focus on the spiritual realm. When negative thoughts are building up and trying to take control of our emotions, we need to take a few minutes to ‘set our mind and keep them set on the higher things’, that is, on the things of God.
It often helps to speak positively about whatever is bothering us. For example, in our mind we might challenge our thoughts and say, “My job may not be the best job in the world, but at least I have a job and am fairly paid for what I am doing” or “My house may not be as nice as I’d like it to be, but it’s still a good place to live” or “I might be going through a difficult time right now, but my God is with me and He’s going to get me through it”.
I like the encouragement in the Book of Psalms, chapter 94:12-13, where the Psalmist writes, ‘Blessed [meaning happy, fortunate, to be envied] is the one whom the Lord disciplines [meaning instruct, and teach], that the Lord may give power to keep them calm [meaning rest, relief] in the days of adversity’.
[Photo: Tembela Boble from Pexels]
The second action is to adopt a lifestyle of discipline and self-control. Like a long-distance athlete, strict training is a prerequisite before entering a competition. This inevitably involves a well-balanced diet, maintaining a training regime, having sufficient sleep and rest, learning the terrain of the course, having the right equipment, and mental attitude. The athlete cannot allow the frailties of the flesh to lead his decisions. As soon as this happens, the athlete’s progress and ambition can quickly go downhill. In his First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 9:26, the Apostle Paul writes, ‘I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air’, in other words, one should have a purpose and when one sets out to achieve a goal, do it intentionally. Therefore the more we discipline ourselves to say no to our feelings and yes to wise instructions, the better equipped we will be to overcome the negative and often unreliable emotions that keeps us down from focusing on our goals.
Thirdly, the instructions that are written in the first three verses of chapter 1 of the Book of Psalms exemplifies the winning position of the overcomer. It states, ‘Happy are those who reject the advice of evil people, who do not follow the example of sinners or join those who have no use for God. Instead, they find joy in obeying the Law of the Lord, and they study it day and night. They are like trees that grow beside a stream, that bear fruit at the right time, and whose leaves do not dry up. They succeed in everything they do.’
To see better days, and more importantly remain in better days, we are reminded to reject evil advice and not remain among the company of the ungodly. To succeed and be blessed, we are asked to know God's Word. Seeking good counsel from professionals or trusted friends can help move us from a hopeless situation to a goal-setting program for change and accomplishment.
Lastly as a Christian I am reminded of, again by the Apostle Paul words in his Letter to the Romans in chapter 8:28 where he says, ‘In all things God works for the good of those who love Him.’
While this may not be an easy proposition to comprehend, believers of the Bible accept the fact that they are not immune from troubling times and suffering. Those who love God suffer from the same afflictions as much as anyone else. As explained by Barney Zwartz, Senior Fellow of the Centre for Public Christianity and contributor to The Age newspaper, ‘The Bible does not promise that Christians will enjoy lives of ease and comfort – to the contrary, it promises tribulation and disdain…He [Paul] clearly meant his words to console and edify, to remind believers that in every circumstance and every affliction God is in control and is ultimately using these for good’.
[Photo: Media from Wix]
We know and can see that there is a silver lining in every dark cloud. While these may be challenging times, we know also that the sun still shines and is higher than those dark clouds in the sky. While these dark clouds may be a metaphor for despair, hurt, trouble times and melancholy in our lives, we are reminded that the sun, a metaphor for our creator God still continues to shine His ray of love, comfort and peace towards us.
The season of Christmas is a perfect occasion which reminds us that the birth of Jesus was to give humankind the light that shines in the darkness. The name Jesus means Saviour. As is often quoted from the Book of Isaiah chapter 9:6 ‘For to us a child [Jesus] is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace'.
May your ‘silver lining’ in the dark cloud be ‘stitched’ by the love and light of Jesus who continues to shine for all to see and experience.
Best Wishes for this Festive Season.
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