Last week my husband and I had the chance to get away for the week to the beach, my happy place. If you didn’t know that about me yet, well now you do. 

Of course I love the beach for many of the same reasons most people do… the sounds, beauty, sun, waves, family, shells, even the flip flops… I am just smitten with all of it.  But more than these obvious things, over the years, I have had experiences along the edges of the ocean that have surely marked me in the ways I walk through life with Jesus.  And almost every time I step my feet in the sand, in one way or another, I find God brings those experiences to life again, helping me to find my spiritual footing in unique and special ways.  I guess you could say, the Lord and I have lots of beach memories together, and I am always up for making more.

One of my favorite things to do is to walk the beach in the early morning hours as the sun rises…

On those walks I talk with the Lord, ponder things with Him, and also give Him time to tell me what is on His heart. Oh, how I needed those conversations with Him last week.

As the sun peeked up and the waves rolled in, I needed to talk to Him about…

the burdens I’ve been carrying, and to have space to ponder some dreams that have been brewing within me.  It was time to let Him see my tears over some of the loneliness I have been experiencing these last several months, to let Him carry the sadness I was feeling at my mother in laws passing, to bring my children before Him and pray over their futures, and most importantly to hear what He had to say about all of this and more.  And as usual, these times of walking and talking with Him didn’t disappoint.

Several years ago, I learned that one of the names given to Jesus in Scripture is “Sunrise from on High.”  In the book of Luke, when Zechariah prophesies of Jesus being born on the earth, that is what he called Him  (Luke 1:78). Knowing also that Jesus is called “The Light of the World,” and seeing that He was given this name too, well let’s just say I have never looked at the sun rising the same again.

When I see the sunrise, I now see Him!

So, it’s no wonder to me that every day the sunrise looks so incredibly different. We will never see the same one twice.  If Jesus created the world, oh the vast creativity that rests within Him to paint the sky with beauty in unique ways each morning.

And then there is His faithfulness!  Every morning, from the very first dawn of creation, the sun has risen.  He has never been late, never forgotten, never just didn’t show up.  Over and over again, without fail, He arrives.  When I see Him peek up on the edge of the skyline, faith stirs on the inside of me to believe without a doubt that He will also never be late, never forget, never just not show up in my life either.  When I start my day in the presence of this tangible reminder of His faithful presence,

I walk more confidently that He will be faithful to me too, just like He promised.

I have stories to tell of ways that God has spoken to me through His appearing each morning.  See this little heart in this picture...

O. MY. GOODNESS. There is a story behind this sunrise that would blow your mind… it still blows mine every time I think about it.  God is so personal, so creative, so detailed.  And He cares!  Cares enough to speak to us through the sunrise. One day, I plan to share that story. I’ll let you know when I do.

But for now I’ll just jot down a few of my stepping moments from last week…

I’m always intrigued by other people who get up to watch the sun rise. I pondered that a lot last week when I was stepping through the sand alongside them in the early morning hours… see I was not the only one rising to see the sun.  Others besides me also crawled out of their cozy beds in the dark of the morning too. 

Why?  I’m not really sure. But last week as I saw them, I often wondered, “Do you know the Sunrise? I hope you do, because He is so worth knowing, and He wants to know you!” 

Secondly, one of the things the Lord really spoke to me as I walked with Him was about how He is the One who will search through the brokenness and find treasures.  Over the years I have not been much of a shell seeker.  I couldn’t make myself slow down long enough to look for them. But I am learning… learning that there are treasures amongst the brokenness.  Finding them takes time… but when the sun rises, the light is there so you can find them if you will take the time to look. Most would just walk by a pile of broken shells like this one… 

and for years I did too… but not anymore. Now I often stop.  And when I do, I inevitably find treasures.  There is so much Truth in this that speaks way beyond seashells.  Now that I’m back home, I am trying to remember that Truth when I pass by and see brokenness…

And finally, I had some really sweet moments when the Lord just kindly shined upon me.  See the darkness can easily settle over what I see, think, feel. I imagine you know what I mean.  But when I walk down the shore and make room for His light to rise over me, things on the inside of me begin to rise up too…   

it’s what happens every time in my happy place!

I honestly can’t imagine living in the dark... I am so grateful I don’t have to. And I hope you know, you don’t either.

blessings,