Son Rise!

Would you believe I almost missed the sunrise this morning? A most excellent pairing of tangerine with golden and rose hues streaking across the horizon and I came within minutes of not witnessing it! Believe it or not, sleep was not the culprit vying for my attentions this time. I was, in fact, already up. It was a very intense focus on what I was reading that kept my head down. And I was reading my Bible!
The sky, of course, had been pitch black as I made my weary way from warm, cozy bed to designated 'quiet time spot' in our living room. I began working my way through a morning routine, as though checking things off of an invisible list before the boys awoke. I'm not really sure what made me look up, but right on the other side of the window pane was stunning evidence of a rising sun over this brand new day. And it was breath taking!

I suppose I've always been perplexed by the religious leaders of Jesus' day; how they missed Him. How they were actually the ones to stir up crowds, spread false rumors, put Jesus on trial, and insist on His crucifixion. Weren't they the ones who studied scripture incessantly? In John 5:39-40 Jesus said to a few of these scholars, 'You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.' 
This has always struck a deep chord within me, that they studied diligently in search of life and then actually missed out on Life Himself as He walked among them! Yet, is it possible that we do this at times? Was I actually so engrossed in something so good and right and necessary this morning, the daily digging into God's Word, that I almost missed His masterpiece so briefly displayed across the horizon?! Maybe I shouldn't be so quick to judge those Pharisees. It's possible that we all have had our heads bowed down over what we thought to be absolutely necessary in that moment, only to miss what was truly life giving.
This is absolutely not an excuse to stop with the early morning quiet times, but rather an invitation to take God out of the box we are so often tempted to put Him in. For me it can look like this, 'I'm going to read my Bible, and pray, and maybe get a chapter of that new devotional in before the boys stampede me.' and anything else is considered an interruption. All the while He is whispering, 'Daughter, look up! I just painted the SKY for you!!'

There are certainly mornings to dig deep, blocking out all distractions, finding treasures in His word (and, of course, we must keep digging even on the mornings when revelation has certainly not jumped off the pages) But there are also mornings to simply look up, give thanks, and watch Him work. Maybe I can put down the list of needs I'm bringing before Him and take time to LISTEN to what He might want to bring to the discussion, as well.
The Creator is at work all around us. And He speaks in more ways than one, He longs to meet us where we are at. May we not only dig deep into His words, but keep our heads up and our eyes open to all He is doing. Watch the sun rise, literally! And watch the SON of God rise as Jesus reveals Himself in ways that may be completely unique to you and so ridiculously far out of 'the box'. I have met with Him on swing sets and in the forest and at the beach just as often as I meet with Him during my morning times of peace and quiet. May we never miss out on Him in our search to FIND Him; He's closer than we realize! 'Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.' Jeremiah 33:3 ESV