Saturday, December 19, 2009

Early Morning

I love the early morning. Since childhood it's been my favorite time of the day. I don't love that the early morning comes so early(!) because I also love to drowse late in my cozy warm bed. I wish the early morning could come about 10 AM.

But it doesn't.

Once I'm up, though, I'm up, and I'm always glad when I get going early. Some mornings are exceptionally beautiful! The weather is changeable here and it makes for a different sky every day. One day it's bright pink before the sun rolls over the horizon. The next day it's rainy and misty. What do they say? "Red sky at night, sailor's delight, red sky in the morning sailor's warning"...something like that. Red sky in the morning portends rain, I guess. Some mornings the sky is a beautiful bright salmon color. God must really love creating with color. Just think of all the colors in in the world! Far more than in a 64 count crayon box.

The world is peaceful early in the morning, before the rush of the day. I love to step outside to breathe deeply of the fresh morning air and hear the birds stirring. The squirrels are busy, scampering up and down the pine trees behind my backyard, stashing their stores for the winter. Not that we get a whole lot of winter here on the coast, but God bred that instinct into them so they all do it.

The morning is still before the busyness and responsibilities of the day begin. I love to spend time in prayer early in the morning to set the tone for the day, and to ask God to be involved in every aspect of my life and decisions and activities. After a night of rest, I love having that time to rest in the Lord and bring before Him my concerns and issues surrounding the day...my day, and the issues concerning the lives of others as well.