The Beauty of the Morning

*When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” - Mark 16:1-3 (NIV)

I love mornings.  I always have.  I love mornings, like this one, where I can wake up at my own will to see the sunrise coming in my apartment window...even though my window faces north.  Haha.  I love waking up and being able to ease my way into my day.  I can do my devotion time if I want to.  I can make a good breakfast, waffles and sausage.  Mmmm.  I can write or read.  And when I'm ready to begin my work day, I can shower and get ready leisurely.  I don't like my mornings to be rushed.  

I can just imagine the women headed to the tomb.  By this point in time, they've had all the Sabbath day to try and rest with what happened to Jesus the night before.  But I can imagine their thoughts.  Thoughts of how the body will smell.  Thoughts of what spices and oils to grab on the way out the door.  Thoughts of how they will even get the tomb open!  They wake up and they already have a million things on their mind about their day.  Their morning is rushed, and before their day really even gets going, it turns out that Jesus has risen.  There is no body to be oiled.  There is no worries about the tomb stone being too big to roll back.  Jesus turns their crazy, hectic "Monday" morning into a beautiful one (that is, after they momentarily freak out about where the body went...).    

I wonder how many of us wake up already stressed about the day.  I know I'm guilty of this often.  However, each day is a gift from God.  Each day is one to be remembered.  Each day, God provides what we need.  Sure, there might be a few surprises that cause momentary freak outs...but there is beauty in the morning.  There is beauty in seeing the sunrise in all its splendor.  There is beauty in each day.  It might not be as obvious as a tombstone rolled back...but it is certainly there.  

Enjoy today for what it is...A gift from God. 

Storm Screams

“Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.” – Psalm 107: 28-30 (NIV)

One evening, I was driving home from a friend’s house. It had been raining most of the day, but I was not too worried about the drive home. All of a sudden, there was cloud to ground lightening that surrounded my sight. I was beginning to get nervous. I still had 45 minutes to go before I would arrive safely at home. It began to rain hard. Before long, my windshield wipers could hardly keep up. I could barely see the lines on the road. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did. Quarter-sized hail began to fall and nearly scared me to death with the first one hitting my car sounding like a gun-shot. It seemed to never end. Cars began to pull over on the side of the highway. I was scared and I rarely get scared about driving in the rain. Driving in hail was another thing. I was nearly in tears and made up my mind that if it didn’t stop hailing in thirty seconds, that I would pull into a gas station until it calmed now.

About 25 seconds into my count, a cloud off to the side began to let in a shimmer of sunlight and the hailing stopped. I was so relieved. By this time, I was in tears. I was fully finished with dealing with the hail. I had been talking to God along the way, but by the mess with the hail, they were more like screams. I wanted to be done with all of the mess. But just when I thought I had complete relief…

The hail began yet again! The sun didn’t shine. The wipers, once more, could hardly work fast enough. It hailed longer this time. I was annoyed that it was going on again, yet I was a little calmer this time. I knew that God was watching my back and that I would arrive home…just at a little slower of a pace than what I would generally do it in. I wanted it to quick. And painless. And, by golly, I wanted to stop crying! By the time I arrived home, it had stopped raining. Along the horizon, there was a line of blue. It wasn’t big, but it certainly was a break from the gray sky that darkened with the night approaching.

My drive home is much of what our Christian walk is like. There are storms, and sometimes, we have hail. Parents get divorced. School gets stressful beyond compare. Friends betray us. A spouse leaves. Someone we love goes onto another life. Family decides to move. Illnesses are announced. Cancer or chronic illnesses are detected. All of these things rock our boat. They bring hail on our lives. It breaks us down. We strive to get through each moment, trying to rely that God has a plan to get us out of it. But, instead of screaming for God to pull us out, perhaps we should scream for God to bring us closer to Him so that we can feel His embrace in the storm.

God is always with us. And He is that shimmer of light when it seems like everything is going wrong. It may be off to the side, and you may have to look a little for it, but it will be there. It may be that line of blue on the horizon when the skies are gray. But He is there and He will pull you through anything you encounter. God doesn’t want bad things to happen, but He can work through everything. Scream out to Him and He will be there in the midst of the storm with you!

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© Copyright 2011, Samantha Fomera

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