SUNRISE

I have enjoyed sitting on the porch swing the past several mornings, watching the sunlight creep across the hay field in front of the house.

Monday and Tuesday - clear days - the light began as pale silver, then ever-so-slowly brightened to gold. The field, thick with red clover blossoms, took on a warm, rosy glow. The changes in the light as the sun climbed from dawn to day were so incredibly beautiful that I wondered how I had missed such grandeur for so long.

Yesterday, the sky was overcast. As the sun climbed into the sky up above the clouds, an electric blue-green glow illuminated the hay field beneath the clouds. This morning, with high thin clouds tempering the brightness of the rising sun, the field took on a golden-green hue.

There is this particular magical moment as the sun clears the horizon...the changing light is breath-taking. And it is different every day. The moment is fleeting, lasting only a few minutes. I sit transfixed, distracted from my Bible and my morning coffee. The subtle change in the early-morning light...I don't think watching the first rays of the sun filter across the hay field could ever grow old.

This flicker of exquisite beauty passes so quickly. It would be the easiest thing in the world to miss. I have missed it for years.

A friend who is a young flight attendant posted recently on FaceBook:  "I sat down in my seat today, flying home. The man sitting next to me was looking out the window, at the stunning sunset, and he was overcome with emotion. He turns to me, and says, 'Look at that masterpiece! God is AMAZING! I love the Lord so much; He does so many, many incredible things every single day despite the cruelty and evil in this world. It gives me such hope.'"

Lord, give me eyes to see.