Here in California we relish our sunsets, marveling at the beauty as the day’s light slips beneath the ocean. I remember being in Florida and picking a dinner spot on a pier so we could watch the sunset – only to realize that we were facing east! Sunrises and sunsets each have their own beauty and their own poignancy, but despite being a west coast girl I love to watch the morning light.
A sunrise marks something new. The fresh day holds potential and hope. There is often a quietness before the busyness settles in. It is the time of day that I most often talk to God, study or write; my mind still free from other distractions. I plan out my day knowing that I get a clean start on things that may have gone askew the day before. The Psalmist reminds us that God’s mercies are new each morning and that promise resonates with me.
A sunset has an equal but different beauty. It marks an end. It is the end of the day though the beginning of rest. If given opportunity for some quiet moments, it can be a time of reflection and repentance or celebration depending on what the day held. I have a camping tradition with my friends that we gather to watch the sun set together. We talk of God’s faithfulness and express our gratitude for His work in and around our lives. Reflecting on what has been is important in moving forward tomorrow – building trust for what will be. God is good.
I am in a season of sunsets. Some of the endings they represent are painful and not of my choosing and some are merely part of the normal course of life. It is important that I take time to mark each one - reflecting to learn but also celebrating each for what was. God is faithful as each sun sets and will continue to be faithful when the sun rolls around on a new and different day.
It is important to savor both the sunrises and the sunsets of life, especially as they point us to God. It is another reminder He has given us of His faithful character and the way He cares for us. We will one day experience a sunrise that will not set, hope and freshness that will not fade and we will live in the light of Him forever.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.” Lamentations 3:22-24
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