“The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” Lamentations 3:22-23 (NLT)
Morning
Morning person? Nope, nada, never…well, that is until recently. While staying a few days at a cottage on the lake I found myself awake early enough that it was still dark outside. I’d flip and flop and remind myself that it was too early for ME to get up, and yet, I wasn’t the least bit sleepy so I gave in and threw off the covers. What I learned was, climbing out of my comfortable and letting go of who I thought I was had its rewards. Each morning I was witness to the rising sun and the beauty it brought with it.
Someone other than a fisherman? No way! Well, at least until Jesus called them. They were at the lake too but there was no flip-flopping involved when Jesus invited them to follow Him. Without hesitation, the men stepped out of their comfortable, didn’t give a thought to who they thought they were, and allowed Jesus to show them who they could be.
“As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. The were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’ At once they left their nets and followed him.” Matthew 4:18-20 (NIV)
And oh yes, while often difficult, leaving the security of what the brothers knew behind had great rewards. They were witness to the risen Son! Jesus has called me to come alongside Him too. I wish I could say that I always react like the disciples leaving my comfort zone without a second thought; but there have been times that have made me want to hide under the covers instead. Think of what I missed. Been there?
Now as I ponder on it, lingering in the pink glow of dawn was a wake-up call I think. A reminder that as 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us, God hasn’t given us a fearful Spirit but one full of power, love, and self-discipline. (My, that last one can be hard) We are not to “sleep” our days away in the contentment of being who WE think we are and miss the Son, instead we need to:
“Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.”
Ephesians 5:14b-16 (NIV) 5:17 (NLT)
Morning person? Sometimes. Wrapped up in who I think I am? Giving that up and trying to uncover who Jesus sees in me. The reward? Like none other. Walking alongside Jesus morning, noon, and night, being a witness of and witnessing about, the beauty of His eternal Light risen for you and me.
I have always been a morning person. Well except maybe at age 13-17. I always thought I should work a 5:00 am job but never had one. Now when I could sleep in I can’t remember the last time I was able to sleep past 5:20 am. I’m a fan of morning but at retirement age I waste morning hours and am on a quest to figure out what to do about that. Jesus and his disciples are the role models I need to emulate.