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The breeze freshened suddenly, and the leaves I raked exploded into a whirlwind of orange and yellow. I straightened up and glanced to the west. From my Tennessee ridgetop, I saw a dark band of clouds creeping over the western horizon.

Except for an unusually red sunrise, it had been a delightful day. (Yes, I know the old jingle: Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning; Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. And that’s great for sailors, but there isn’t an ocean within four hundred miles of here.) The weather had invited a day of much-needed yard work. A bonfire took care of downed limbs and the leaves I raked.

Another swirling breeze swept over the bonfire. This time, glowing embers flared to life and alarmingly set sail on the sudden gust. I looked back to the west only to find the dark band of clouds had quickly climbed further into the sky. It was time to kill the fire. Tamping down the flame and burying it under a couple of shovelfuls of dirt left it inert and harmless.

Again, I eyed the glowering clouds racing toward me out of the west. I figured I had enough time to hike down our 1700-foot driveway to our mailbox where the mail waited. I reached inside the front door for my umbrella and came up empty. Obviously, I had left it somewhere or misplaced it, and because I hadn’t been diligent about keeping up with it, it wasn’t where it should have been when I needed it.

You can probably anticipate the rest of the story. I got down to the mailbox, retrieved the mail, and got halfway back up the driveway ... before the heavens opened and raindrops as heavy as pebbles soaked me to the skin. It didn’t do the mail much good either.

I’ve had similar sudden storms while navigating my Christian walk. Fortunately, my loving Father provided an umbrella. The Word of God is my shield against the figurative deluges and blizzards that threaten to overwhelm me.

Unlike an umbrella that shields my head, the Word provides a shield for my heart. I must constantly renew my heart and thoughts through His Word for my shield to be there. The Bible does me no good unless I open it and constantly renew my heart and thoughts with the wisdom inside.

But far too often, I’ve neglected that renewing. I’ve let indifference prevail over planting the Word in my heart, so  when the storms come and I reach for my spiritual umbrella, I find I’ve misplaced it.

A storm is coming for all of us. Even now, the western horizon grows dark with ominous clouds. Know where your spiritual umbrella is and be ready to open it.

(Photo courtesy of pixabay and 12138562O.)

(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)