I’ve always
loved watching the sun rise. Apart from the obvious beauty of it, there’s something
so hope-filling about the way that brilliant orb of light breaks through the
darkness. It’s as if my spirit catches its breath for a second and all I can do
is worship in awe of the God who brings new beginnings day after day.
I’ve seen a
lot of sunrises lately. Having a newborn will do that to a person. Whether or
not I like it – and believe me, some days I’d really, really prefer to be in bed asleep – I’m often awake in time to see
the sunrise. I rub my bleary eyes, pick up my wide-awake son from his cot and
we head outside to see the sunrise.
Every one
of them is beautiful. Every one of them fills me with hope. But it’s the ones
where the sky is full of clouds which are the most stunning.
When the
sky is clear, the sun peeps its face above the horizon to the already blue sky and
there it is. Brilliant. Bright.
But when there are clouds…
Darkness
turns to light as gold-gilt rainbows span the sky. Monotone clouds are painted lush
pinks and oranges, then gold as the sun catches their edges. The sun continues to rise, still unseen, and a section of clouds glows so bright that I
can barely even look at them.
And then,
just when I’m wondering if there are too many clouds for the sun to break
through this time, it finds a tiny gap and the whole sky is filled with streaks
of golden light.
Every
sunrise is beautiful, but there’s something about the presence of clouds that
make certain ones truly magnificent.
My life
feels pretty full of clouds at the moment. I’m tired. I feel like I’ve been
under the weather more often than not in the past couple of years. Some days it’s
a struggle just to get out of bed, let alone ‘shine my light’ or do all the
other things Christians are supposed to do.
And yet, God
is still there, bringing hope through the darkness. Reflecting and refracting his light and making something truly beautiful
of my grey clouds. And I, over and over, find myself catching my breath as I
stand in wonder of the God who can break through even the darkest clouds.
Life is
tough. I know. I’m far from the only person struggling right now. But if you’re
with me, here in the struggle, know that God hasn’t left you to face the
darkness alone. He’s there, every single minute, every single day, making something
beautiful of your clouds. And, just at that moment when you’re wondering if the
clouds are too dark to let anything through, he’ll break through with a beam of
sunlight and remind you, without a doubt, that he is still God. The light will always win.
It’s the
darkest skies which make the most beautiful sunrises.
 |
| Couldn't help but share this one too. Pretty stunned by this gorgeous sunset the other day while watching my daughter play cricket! |
