There Is Sunshine in My Soul Today!

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:6

This was the view out of my window today at work.  Can you believe I have this great Mary Poppins view of my little Pennsylvania town that I get to gaze at every day?  I am looking forward to a little green in the next few weeks so hopefully I will have a new and improved picture to share then.

But for today, there is excitement that spring is on the way - finally! Like everyone else I am longing for warmer days and sunlight and I really can't wait until I don't have to wear a coat, I can't wait until I can feel the sun on my face and I really can't wait until I don't have static electricity in my hair!  That drives me crazy! Anyway, this can be a really hard time of the year for me and others because it seems to drag on and on.

Today is just a regular day with the normal stress, struggles and frustrations but I have so many great things coming up in my life that I might just explode!  My youngest daughter is graduating from college, I will be seeing some of my children very soon and our third grand baby will be arriving in about 2 1/2 months. Do you now understand why I am so full of sunshine?

As I sit here and contemplate my surroundings on this beautiful spring day I am thankful for this day and every day that I have been blessed with.  Things in life are not always easy but I have so much more to be thankful and happy about then to be down about and I choose to always focus on those things that are good, uplifting and beautiful in life.   Don't get me wrong.  I have been in the dumper before and felt like there was no way out but there is always a way out.

As I think of my blessings the hymn There is Sunshine in My Soul Today always comes to mind.   The beautiful words were written by Eliza Edmunds Hewitt 1851-1920, Philadelphia, PA.  Eliza was a teacher by trade but her career was cut short by a spinal injury that rendered her bedridden for quite some time. She turned to hymn writing which was a popular past time in her family.  After being in a cast for six months she was able to take a simple walk in the park and the joy that she felt is captured in these words of this hymn.

There Is Sunshine in My Soul Today
1.  There is sunshine in my soul today,
     More glorious and bright
     Than glows in any earthly sky,
     For Jesus is my Light.

Chorus
     Oh there's sunshine, blessed sunshine,
     When the peaceful, happy moments roll;
     When Jesus shows His smiling face,
     There is sunshine in the soul.

2.  There is music in my soul today,
     A carol to my King,
     And Jesus, listening, can hear,
     The song I cannot sing

3.  There is springtime in my soul today,
     For when the Lord is near,
     The dove of peace sings in my heart,
     The flow'rs of grace appear.

4.  There is gladness in my soul today,
     And hope and praise and love,
     For blessings which He gives me now,
     For joys "laid up" above.

So take a few minutes to listen to this song (the link to a beautiful version is below) and think about the words and how they fit into you life.  Let there be sunshine in your soul today.  Find the good things that are a part of your life and express your love and appreciation to those around you.  If you are having a difficult time right now, for any reason, seeking out the joy, goodness and light in life will lift you up and help you to deal with the things that are thrown your way.  Who doesn't need that kind of help?!!!!

If you have any thoughts on the topic or any other hymns that bring you joy and happiness, please share them with me in the comment section below.  I would love to hear your thoughts!

Click below for a link to this beautiful hymn.

There is Sunshine in My Soul Today