Romans 2:4 (NCV)
Perhaps you do not
understand that God is kind to you so you will change your hearts and lives.
If someone were to observe me for several days they would begin to
notice something about me; I am one who follows the sun. It starts in the morning. My husband and I’s
bedroom faces the rising sun and especially right now the bright glorious
sunrise kisses me awake every morning.
As I start my work day, I open all of the shades in my house and plant
myself in the chair that is nearest the glorious rising sun. Sometimes this will involve me switching
between a couple chairs and squeezing myself smaller and smaller to get the last bits of direct sunshine as the sun
begins to fade. If the weather is warm
enough, I’ll take my computer out on the back deck and sit in a chair that is
still exposed to the sun. As the day
progresses, the sun switches to shining on the front end of my home, so I will then
move to the front room or porch to soak in the sun. Again,
if the weather is warm enough, you will find me sitting smack dab in the middle
of a sunny spot.
Towards the end of the
day, you will find me searching for a glorious sunset. We usually get one out our front window or if
I’m lucky enough I will drive to the lake so I can sit and watch the
sunset. I told my daughter that a
perfect day for me, would be chasing an everlasting sunset.
The start of the day in the sunshine is like a gentle kiss from my Savior. After my niece’s death 6 years ago I went
through a season where it physically hurt my heart to get out of bed. In sorrow and confusion, darkness was what I
seemed to constantly feel in my heart.
During this painful season the Lord gave me Psalm 19:
1-6 (NCV):
The heavens declare
the glory of God, and the skies
Announce what his
hands have made. Day after day
They tell the story;
Night after night
they tell it again.
They have no speech
or words;
They have no voice to
be heard.
But their message
goes out through all the world;
Their words go
everywhere on earth.
The sky is like a
home for the sun.
The sun comes out
like a bridegroom from his bedroom.
It rejoices like an
athlete eager to run a race.
The sun rises at one
end of the sky and follows its path
to the other end.
Nothing hides from
its heat.
This is where I began each day during that difficult season. Reading this Scripture daily as the sun rose
in my bedroom. I loved the image of the
sun coming out like a bridegroom from his bedroom. The announcement of the sky.
There was a joy, a joy that continued daily
and didn’t fail. A joy that started each
day, and did not grow tired nor decide to check out and take a day off. It didn’t get disillusioned by life; there
was something greater than all the sorrows of this life that was worth
announcing day by day. His creation
spoke a message, a silent yet powerful message, and this is where I sat my
heart for a season. As the sun rose, I
lay in bed and allowed the message of the sun’s joy in life to speak to my heart.
Another reason, I fell in love with this Psalm because from the very beginning it drew
me in with its gentle peace but also because it continued on tying His creation
to the power of His word (7-10):
The teachings of the
Lord are perfect;
They give new
strength.
The rules of the LORD
can be trusted; they make plain people wise.
The orders of the
LORD are right;
They make people
happy.
The commands of the
LORD are pure;
They light up the
way.
Respect for the LORD
is good; it will last forever.
The judgements of the
LORD are true;
They are completely
right.
They are worth more
than gold, even the purest gold.
They are sweeter than
honey, even the finest honey.
Just as I could rest in the faithfulness of His creation, I too could
rest my heart in the faithfulness and beauty of His Word. His teachings were perfect. They give strength. His
Word could be trusted.
When your heart has been through a war, there needs to be a time for
healing. Psalm 19 provided a safe place
for my heart to heal. It allowed me to
take the extravagant beauty that I can so easily see around me and parallel it
to Scripture.
There are benefits and pitfalls to being a Christian your entire
life. It provides a solid foundation
that takes a lot to demolish. However,
you also get exposed to LOTS of versions of Christianity some really good stuff
and some not so good. Combine all that information
with a perfect storm of tragedy and your heart, mind, soul and spirit can end
up a mess. What I learned (and still
learn) is that Jesus is a gentle Savior, who knows how to gently and patiently
untie the greatest of messes. Just as I
place my body physically in the light of the sun every day, spiritually, you
will find me too following the Son.
Immersing myself in His Word; knowing that my understanding or use of it
won’t always be perfect or clear. But
what I do know is that it is trustworthy, it is pure and it does light up my
way.
In Christ,
