A Thought as Beautiful as the Rising Sun

Every morning the sun beautifully rises. If you’ve ever had an opportunity to witness the rise of the sun day after day, then you know that this image can be etched in your mind’s eye forever. Without comparison, this glorious beauty is incredibly unique every day,  and as we stand in its midst, we find ourselves overwhelmed and in awe. As a result of this extravagant beauty, I have been brought to tears many times. However, there are days I rise with less splendor and with more of a grumble instead. Have you had those mornings, the ones where the moment your eyes open, you wish you could turn over and shut them again? This is not only because some days it is cloudy and rainy with a chance of a storm, but simply the day where we are gray. Consequently, this view can cause us to miss God’s most beautiful display before us.

I woke up one morning later than I had hoped while hitting the snooze more than I should have. The first glance I took through my bedroom window was colorfully captivating. Beautiful colors adorned the sky with blues, greens, reds, yellows, oranges, and a mix of pink and purple. What a beautiful sunrise it was and a glorious day to be! Yet, there I lay grumpy. I did not want to get up, and I scolded myself for not getting up earlier all the same time. The ugly truth is my thoughts were negative, and my attitude was even more negative. I was not capable at this moment to appreciate this beauty, nor was I able to appreciate the God who created it. It blinded my mood; I was missing out.

“Get up grumpy,” I said to myself when I looked in the mirror. Next, I proceeded to ask myself what was wrong? I could not answer at that moment, so I moved on. Then, as I fumbled through my drawers and closet to find something to wear, I decided my attitude needed to change. Ok, that was my answer. If I could not put my finger on the problem, maybe I would need to change my position.

I stepped out onto my patio, and I began to pray. “Lord, Why am I feeling this way? I don’t want to. I do not want to miss out on what You for me. I do not want to miss You!” My grumbling was interfering with my view, and I really had no reason. Sometimes we can lose sight of what is before us and no longer see the blessings of every new day. On this day, I was blind, but how I wanted to see.

I wish I could say that after that prayer, grumpiness went away, but it did not. It took much longer than that, and another cup of coffee. While I spent time in the word, I realized that my thoughts were robbing me of God’s glorious blessing on this day, and somehow my attitude shifted from gratitude to grumpy. The thing is, I knew the truth. I knew that God’s presence was with me, and in Him was my fullness of joy, but at that moment, my thoughts were clouding His splendor. Capturing our thoughts when they drift from the truth and setting our gaze in the right direction is essential in seeing the beauty of every day.

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.”  -Romans 8:5

My focus was wrong, and my mind and mood slowly followed. Then, I re-set my eyes on God’s word with a fresh perspective. Here, we find those truths that keep our minds and our hearts focused in the right direction. After spending time renewing my mind on the life-giving truths found in the bible, I found my gray cloud lift.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”  – Philippians 4:8

So what was my problem? I forgot! I guess I just needed a reminder of where my joy is found. Do you need that today? I can promise you that the truth can and will set you free if you do. Free to live beyond your thoughts, beyond your feelings, and even beyond your circumstances.

Set a new, with a fresh perspective, my joy returned, and not because of any external factors, but because my thoughts were re-aligned with the truth, and I refocused on God. In scripture, we are told to set our minds on things above, and I only needed to be reminded that this is where my joy comes from. Just as amazing as the beautiful sunrise is a heart that rises upon the beautiful thoughts born from God’s true word.

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”   – Colossians 3:2

Blessings,

Anne