"I See Your Face in Every Sunrise"

Last week I was chatting with a friend over Skype. She had watched the sunrise that morning and shared how wonderful the experience was. My friend told me about a person who decided to watch the sunrise every day for a season of life. It's a beautiful thing that happens every day that few people witness. 

I thought, "That's great." But I had no desire to wake up to watch the sunrise the next morning. I like sleep. I like watching the sunrise; I like slow, quiet mornings; I just like sleep more. 

Then my friend asked me to join her in watching the sunrise that week. Four out of five days, that's all. She made it clear I didn't have to join her, but I knew I should. So I agreed. 

Last week I watched the sunrise four out of the five mornings of my work week. I expected God to do great things and teach me a lot during those quiet mornings simply sitting in his presence. 

He did. 

Day One:

My apartment last week had a balcony that faced the Black Sea. I knew that I couldn't see the sunset from it. The sunset happened on the opposite side of our building. So I naturally assumed that I could see the sunrise from my balcony. 

I set my alarm for 5:40, threw on a warm sweatshirt and sweatpants, grabbed a blanket, and went out to my balcony. It was already bright, but the sunrise was supposed to happen at 6:00. (My friend's was at 6:45... just sayin'.) 

That morning I realized that my balcony faces more north than east. I couldn't actually see the sun. I had to stand on my tiptoes and lean over my balcony's railing just to see this:

I realized that if I wanted to see the sunrise, I needed to be more intentional than simply rolling out bed and expecting it to wait for me to be ready to rise. 

As I leaned over the balcony's railing, I glanced left. Thanks to my neighbor's window, I could see a perfect reflection of the sunrise. It was beautiful. 

But it wasn't the sunrise. It was simply a reflection. It was a simple reflection in an unlikely place.

That morning made me realize that that's often how I approach my relationship with God. I think it is supposed to be easy every day and that I don't have to be intentional. I find myself opening my Bible in a sleepy daze and expecting a quick fix to my needs. I expect to stumble out of bed and see him clearly at work with a neon sign flashing pointing it out. 

But instead, I often find him in unexpected places, people, and circumstances. I see his reflection more often than I see him in all of his glory. Because I haven't actually seen him in all of his glory. That will come in the new heavens and new earth.

In the present, I can see more of him than I do though. I just have to be willing to move more out of my way to see it. And it'll be worth it.

Day Two:

I learned my lesson after day one. I knew I had to be more intentional. I set my alarm for 5:30. I once again threw on my sweats, grabbed a blanket, grabbed the lawn chair, and went downstairs. I camped out outside next to the Chinese restaurant attached to our apartment complex.

It was still before the sunrise. With the time difference, it was night time back in South Dakota. I received an iMessage from a friend and thought, "I'll just respond to this one." The moon was still out. I had time before the sunrise to send a quick message.

But I sent another message. And another. It was a great conversation. It gave me joy. My friend and I encouraged one another. It wasn't bad. 

But before I knew it, it was 6:03. I had missed the sunrise. I didn't realize it. I was distracted. 

Even if I had been looking, a tall building blocked my view of the sunrise. I saw a great glimpse of the moon, but I wasn't intentional enough to see the sunrise.

I distract myself often in my relationship with God. Just one more email, then I'll read my Bible. Just one more episode of "Once upon a Time" then I'll really study Ephesians. Just one more.

Distractions pull me away. They're not always bad things. Distractions can simply be good things at a bad time. Like my conversation with my friend. She didn't know that I was missing the sunrise. I didn't tell her. I chose the distraction myself. And I missed out on witnessing a beautiful, quiet miracle. Friends, that happens a lot more often in my life than I care to admit. 

Day Three:

No messing around on day three. I was on a mission. I realized I needed to go to the beach if I wanted to actually see the beauty of the sunrise. The beach was about two or three blocks from my apartment. The weather was low 40s. But if I'm going to wake up at 5:30 to see the sunrise at 5:55, I am going to do it right!

I layered. Boots, leggings, sweat pants, sweatshirt, fleece jacket, mittens. I boiled water and inserted a Starbucks VIA packet. This was serious. I walked to the beach and sat on a rock. 

And I waited for the sun to rise. It started to peak through the clouds and the hill, and it was beautiful.

Then the pack of dogs came. Dogs scare me. Packs of stray medium-to-large-sized dogs scare me. They got a little too close for comfort, so rather than risking my life, I retreated. They probably wouldn't have killed me, but why chance it? Right?

I had seen a good view. The sea was delightful. It was a good morning. I almost left then. 

But the sunrise didn't actually happen yet. And what if it was amazing? I didn't want to miss it again. So I stood at the back-end of the beach and waited. The stray dogs eventually retreated, and I returned to my former seat and saw this:

I almost missed it. I almost let my fear scare me away from the sunrise. 

Fear winning doesn't just happen with the sunrise for me. Sometimes fear makes me miss out on seeing more of God. I don't take the risk. Instead, I retreat. I don't tell my friend or a stranger about the goodness of God. I don't stay in an uncomfortable situation, and I miss out on understanding more of him.

I almost let fear win with this year. I considered quitting. In January and February, the schedule was just too daunting. I almost let it scare me away. I almost missed out on this sunrise. Twice. 

But God is so, so good. If we stick around and trust him, we can see more of the fullness of his goodness. Don't retreat. It's not worth it.

Day Off:

My friend and I said we would watch the sunrise four out of the five mornings. After the third day, I skipped the next sunrise. It made sense with my schedule. I thought sleep would be worth it.

Sometimes, that's how I treat my "quiet time" with God. I think that sleep will be worth missing it. My schedule is too busy or too straining. I can miss a morning reading my Bible. It can't make that much of a difference, right?

But that day off was terrible. I had a terrible attitude. As the day progressed, it got better. But I missed out on a great, quiet, slow morning with Jesus. Unfortunately, my day reflected that. My life also reflects the days that I miss spending time in God's Word. I have a terrible attitude on those days. Something is missing in my life. Sleep isn't worth it. It never is. Hopefully, my sleepy brain catches onto that truth soon.

Day Four:

Day four was similar to day three. I layered. Boots, leggings, sweat pants, sweatshirt, fleece jacket, mittens. I boiled water and inserted a Starbucks VIA packet. This was serious. I walked to the beach and sat on the same rock.

The birds were everywhere. So many birds. 

The sun rose. It was glorious. 

A perfect circle of red. It made me think of the red moon in Joel 2. (I know it's the sun, not the moon. But Joel 2 still came to mind.) Joel 2:28-32 says

“Then, after doing all those things,
    I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
    Your old men will dream dreams,
    and your young men will see visions.
 In those days I will pour out my Spirit
    even on servants—men and women alike.
 And I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth—
    blood and fire and columns of smoke.
 The sun will become dark,
    and the moon will turn blood red
    before that great and terrible[f] day of the Lord arrives.
 But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
    will be saved,
for some on Mount Zion in Jerusalem will escape,
    just as the Lord has said.
These will be among the survivors
    whom the Lord has called.

The sun wasn't dark that morning; it was blood red. God makes good promises. He will save everyone who calls on his name. He is so good. 

Conclusion:

Watching the sun rise again and again last week reminded me of his goodness. I was able to experience it in a new way. I sat in his goodness. I didn't do anything. I just watched him do a daily miracle, and it was worth less sleep. Waking up a little bit earlier to read about his many miracles is also worth less sleep. If I keep reminding myself of it while I'm awake and enjoying life, maybe I'll remember it more readily when I am tempted to hit the snooze button for the third time.

On day three, my teammates and I met with some other people and sang Phil Wickham's song "Beautiful." 

The song opens with

I see Your face in every sunrise

The colors of the morning are inside Your eyes

The world awakens in the light of the day

I look up to the sky and say

You’re beautiful

Those words meant more that morning. Last week I saw God's face in two sunrises. I saw his reflection in another, and I missed out on seeing him in two others. 

I knew I missed out on seeing him. It bothered me. It bothers me when I miss out on seeing him in his Word too. 

I'm not going to watch the sunrise every morning. But I will wake up for more sunrises in my future. I hope I will also be more intentional in my relationship with God. I want to spend time with him. It's worth it. Face to face time with him is always worth it whether the sun is rising or not. 

I asked God to meet me in this little sunrise experiment. I wanted to learn more about him. He met me and he taught me more about him. I just had to be willing to trust him with it and meet him in a place where he always promises to be. 

Thanks, friend. It was a good challenge. It was a good week. I'm sorry I laughed at your suggestion. Thanks for inviting me into the adventure.

How is God asking you to be more intentional with him? What are your distractions keeping you from seeing him? What are your fears that cause you to retreat? Where will you see his face this week?