The Many Thoughts of Wanda Kidd

Brownwood, Texas

Sunrises

Romans 13:11-13

¹¹ Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now ^[a]salvation is nearer to us than when we first believed. ¹² The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let’s rid ourselves of the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

NASB

I will admit that I have seen many more sunsets than sunrises in my life. I am not a great morning person.  If you want to spend time with me with little to no conversation, then make arrangements to meet at 6:30 am.  However, there was no real way to stay in bed too long in a campground because I would say my aversion to early rising is an anomaly amongst the camping set. The few people who were in the campgrounds during those winter months were up and moving long before the sun rose.  

As usual, I was late getting to my campground one night. I arrived at my reserved campsite in total darkness and set up with a flashlight. Exhausted after a long day, I climbed up into the elevated sleeping loft and immediately fell asleep, but at daybreak, a flock of honking geese awoke me with a start. As I looked out the window beside my bed, what I saw was an amazingly beautiful sunrise.  All around me was a foggy mist that had a golden glow and a mystical feel. What I also saw was that my campsite was surrounded by water on three sides and I had come very close to backing into a lake the night before.

The splendor of the sunrise was held in tension with the realization that choosing to live in darkness can put me and others on the precipice of danger. I would love to tell you that I learned my lesson and made arrangements to set up only in the light, but like the children of Israel, I am slow to learn my lessons.  Jesus is always trying to move us toward the light. Yet, so often we choose to set up camp in the dark. Then, when the light comes, we are always surprised by the perilous situations in which we find ourselves. 

Prayer:

Oh patient and illuminating God, forgive me for continuing to squander the light you relentlessly offer me in the reality of Jesus.  Help me to seek the newness of each day with the assurance that you always meet me there and continue to overcome the darkness I so often choose.  Amen.