Last night, while I was getting ready to read a bit before going to bed, the light in my room went out. Knowing that today was probably going to be a long day and that I wouldn’t be able to do my quiet time at night without a light. I decided to wake up a little earlier so I could spend my time with God before my day started.
The idea popped into my mind to wake up with the sunrise and take advantage of all the natural light I could get. So, I checked what time the sun would rise and set my alarm for 6:30am.
*insert sleepless night*
I really did try to go to sleep. For some reason, my brain just wouldn’t let me. I think it was sometime around 3am that I finally fell asleep.
Want to know something I hate?
Not sleeping well and waking up to an alarm (especially after a restless night).
And yet, when my alarm went off at 6:30am, something compelled me to get out of bed. I took a shower to wake myself up a bit and then sat down in the cutie little rocking chair in my room with my Bible and journal in front of me.
Want to know some things I love?
Thunderstorms and mountains.
Well, as I was reading my Bible (honestly thinking about how tired I was) I heard the first roll of thunder. I looked out my window and saw the storm clouds over the mountains, and I was so glad that I woke up with the sunrise. If I didn’t, I would’ve missed the combination of 2 of my favorite things.
After finishing my Bible reading, I still had some time before breakfast so I decided to read a chapter from the book I’m currently reading: “The Great House of God” by Max Lucado. I want to share a couple of paragraphs from the chapter The Observatory: A Heavenly Affection, because I can’t put it better than Lucado does:
“I’m about to tell you something you may find hard to believe. You’re about to hear an opinion that may stretch your imagination. You don’t have to agree with me, but I would like you to consider it with me. You don’t have to buy it, but at least think about it. Here it is: If you were the only person on earth, the earth would look exactly the same. The Himalayas would still have their drama and the Caribbean would still have its charm. The sun would still nestle behind the Rockies in the evenings and spray light on the desert in the mornings. If you were the sole pilgrim on this globe, God would not diminish its beauty one degree.
Because he did it all for you . . . and he’s waiting for you to discover his gift. He’s waiting for you to stumble into the den, rub the sleep from your eyes, and see the bright red bike he assembled, just for you. He’s waiting for your eyes to pop and your heart to stop. He’s waiting for the moment between the dropping of the law and the leap of the heart. For in that silence he learns forward and whispers: I did it just for you.”
Suddenly I wasn’t just glad I woke up. I was overwhelmed with God’s love for me. As the rain started and the light struck and the thunder rolled once again, I heard God whispering: “I did it just for you, because I love you.” Suddenly the mountains in the distance weren’t just one of my favorite things, but they were God’s gift to me. In the next roll of thunder God whispered “thank you for waking up to that alarm you hate so much and spending your sleepy morning with me”
