“Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning.” – weather lore

For the past week, my family and I have been enjoying a vacation at the beach. We all needed this break from our busy lives.

My wife is involved with standing up an in-hospital treatment program for people who suffer from eating disorders; our older daughter is starting an accelerated Master’s program at the University of Kansas; our younger daughter begins high school in a couple of weeks and has been practicing with the cheer squad all summer in preparation for the first football game; and I’ve been focused on my day job as a publishing executive while writing for this blog as well as my home blog, The BridgeMaker.

So, yes, a vacation came at the right time for us.

Red sky at night

We’ve spent the last week eating seafood, playing in the ocean and taking walks on the beach. My favorite time to walk is after dinner – right around sunset. The cool ocean breeze along with the call of the seagulls makes for a peaceful setting.

Most evenings as we walked, I noticed the red sky. Looking up, I remembered an old saying I learned as a boy, “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning.”

Growing up on Virginia’s southeastern coast, I knew what this weather lore meant: If a sailor noticed a red sky at night it was a good indication that the weather the next day would be calm and with little risk of storms.

Walking under the red skies brought a reassurance I haven’t felt in a long time. It was as if God was grabbing my attention by sending me a signal He knew I would recognize. His message was simple, Remember this red sky when you leave. Everything will be okay.

Sometimes we need a gentle reminder, a little nudge to remind us that we can’t do everything ourselves. Sooner or later our breakneck pace will get the best of us and we need to remember to surrender our problems and ask for peace.

The promise

There’s no question when I return home I’ll face mornings when the sky is painted a bright red. After all, life just isn’t perfect. But, I’ve seen these skies before, and I’ve weathered the resulting storms. My faith tells me the storms will pass and hope keeps the promise of a red sky at night alive in my heart.

No matter the problems we face or how hard our lives can be, if we hang onto our faith and know, sooner or later, the night sky will once again shine a brilliant red for us, we can receive the nudge anytime we need and then feel the peace return.

God’s masterpiece of a red sky at night promises that everything will be okay.

About Alex Blackwell

Alex Blackwell is a father, husband and writer. He writes about inspiring things at The BridgeMaker.
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