Snoopy’s Heading East

By Charlotte Riegel –

“Snoopy’s heading east,” I told my husband on a recent trip to the city. He was baffled until I pointed to a cloud in the sky. “See, his ears and hair are streaming out behind him indicating he is moving very fast.” I smiled and my husband reminded me he was driving and could not examine the cloud to which I referred.

I love looking at clouds. Living on the Canadian prairies where sky scenes abound offers many delightful opportunities to see cloud formations that resemble dinosaurs, bears, rabbits, funny faces with long hair, warriors, pretty ladies in long dresses, Snoopy and angels.

Several years ago I had the privilege of attending a Christian Writer’s Conference in New Mexico. Three other ladies from my church also attended and we travelled together between airport and conference grounds and return, a two hour trip each direction. On that return trip we stopped at the edge of the conference grounds for some final pictures of a rustic homestead and the breathtaking scenery around us. While sharing a prayer for safety in our travels and gratitude for the amazing time we had experienced at the conference, I looked up (I often pray with my eyes open) and saw a cloud that looked like an angel. After the ‘amen’ I pointed to it and said to my companions, “Look, there is our guardian angel for this trip.” They looked, and teased me, having gotten used to my cloud pictures, but not totally convinced it looked like an angel.

About thirty minutes down the road one lady asked the driver to stop so she could get some better pictures. While she was out of the vehicle I looked to the sky and saw the guardian angel cloud, still keeping watch over us. I also saw the face of a woman in that cloud and drew the other’s attention to it. They all saw the face and were in awe.

I have learned it’s possible to train someone else to see things I see when at first they don’t. My husband used to tease me as I pointed out cloud pictures to him. It delights me now to have him drawing my attention to cloud pictures he sees before I do.

In the same way we can train others to focus in on God and a relationship of faith and close communion with Him by repeatedly drawing their attention to His work in our lives and in the world around us.
“You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16 MSG).