Sunrise...

There's something about seeing a sunrise that never ceases to amaze me and take my breath away.  It is so majestic and powerful and the colors that come just before it rises are beyond beautiful.  They paint a picture to get you ready, and then before you know it, here comes the sun, brining with it all its glory.  It's amazing.

So with the way the time is now, I haven't gotten to see many sunrises on my runs lately.  And it's always one of the things I love most.  Especially on long run days.  And today was one of them.  I had 13 miles to do.  We usually do some of the longer runs starting at the TVA Trail and go up to the Marriott and across the dam and back.  Well today as we were crossing over the dam, you could see the moments just before the sun was about to rise.  The sky was beautiful.  It had pink and yellow and orange tones that almost gave me chills.  And you could see the light coming from beneath it, setting the stage for a gorgeous sunrise.

As I was running, I started thinking about sunrises and why I love them so much.  And then I realized that it's because of what the sunrise stands for.  The sun rises after a period of darkness and night. It brings light to darkness.  And just like the sun rises after a time of darkness, it reflects what happens in our lives as well.  We all go through periods of darkness.  When we can't see in front of us because it's so dark.  Situations bring despair and hopelessness.  It feels cold and empty.  But just at the right time, the Son begins to rise in our lives.  We see the glimpses of color just before and this brings us hope.  And then, in all of His majesty and glory, He begins to rise within our lives.  The darkness we were surrounded with begins to fade in the presence of His glorious light.  And before we know it, the darkness is gone and we are surrounded by His light within us.  WOW!!!

I don't know about you, but that just gives me hope.  Hope to keep enduring every hour of the night I am in.  Because hope is on the horizon.  HE is on the horizon.  And that hope pulls me through every moment I stand in darkness because I know it is temporary.  I am so thankful for His light that rises in my darkest moments and surrounds me with His presence.  I can't imagine going through the fire and NOT knowing that my help comes from God.

I know in my own life I have been walking through some dark issues.  At times they have seemed overwhelming and almost caused me to lose hope and give up.  But then I remember the sunrise, and I know that weeping may last for a night, but joy will come in the morning.  I know that He is about to rise in all of His glory and shine His light into the dark times of my life.  And that sets my heart at peace and fills me with strength to endure every moment until I see His deliverance. 

What an amazing God we serve.  He speaks to us through all of His creation.  And the most wonderful thing of all....the God Who created this universe, and causes the sun to rise and set when it does?  Well, He loves us and desires to know us and for us to know Him.  Personally.  So, yeah, after that sunrise this morning, lets just say I had some sweet fellowship with my Creator and Father.  :-)

Keep running,
Stacy