One of Joni Mitchell’s most famous songs is “Both Sides Now.” In it, this talented singer/songwriter shares her insights on love and life with an analogy to clouds. In one line, she speaks about the regrets of her life and the role clouds played in it.

“So many things I would have done, but clouds got in my way.”

The Bible speaks about clouds in the book of Ecclesiastes:

“He who observes the wind will not sow, And he who regards the clouds will not reap.” (Ecclesiastes 11:4-6 NKJV)

Basically, this verse is saying: If your eyes are focused on something other than what you should be focused on, you’re not going to sow (plant) and furthermore, you will not reap (see results).

Let’s put this in practical terms. We may have a dream in our hearts to accomplish something. Perhaps it’s starting a business or going back to school. Yet we keep finding excuses (clouds) as to why we can’t do it. For example:

• I don’t have the money.
• I’m not smart enough.
• I don’t have a degree.

If we stay focused on these excuses, we will never take a step forward.

On the flip side, let’s say we did move forward in some fashion and now we have some results that we need to act upon. If we make excuses as to why we can’t do this, we will not get the benefit of our actions (reap).

For example:

• We started a business and it’s time to share the good news. Yet we make excuses as to why we won’t reach out to people and promote the business. Cloud: “No one will want this product/service.”
• We wrote a book but we haven’t done any research on how to publish it. Cloud: “No one will want to read this book.”

If we continue to look at circumstances and make excuses, we will never be all that God wants us to be. We will never accomplish the great plan He has for us. (Jeremiah 29:11) We’ll end up like Ms. Mitchell with regrets about the many things she could’ve done but didn’t.

As I prepared to go out for my daily walk one day this week, I noticed the cloud cover, which was plentiful that day. I thought that if I headed out, I might get stuck in a downpour. Yet, I decided to go anyway and look what I saw? Through the dark clouds, there were glimmers of sun. If I focused on the clouds, I’d have skipped my walk. Instead, I walked even longer!

While the clouds may be pretty and fun to look at, they are in fact, a distraction. Nothing kills dreams or forward progress more than distraction. And woo eee – we live in a world FULL of distractions, don’t we?

This week, I’d like to encourage you to dust off that dream of yours. Take it off the shelf and breathe life back into it. Then, make a detailed plan on how you will go about making it a reality, of course consulting with the ultimate Planner, your Father in heaven.

“A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. (Proverbs 16:9 NKJV)

God has an amazing plan for your life but if we to make it a reality, we must ignore the cloud cover and look to the sun to accomplish it.