How God Lights the Way
One of my favorite hobbies is chasing a good sunset or sunrise. When my life seems out of control, something about the consistency of nature feels like a promise straight from Jesus. The other day as I was driving to work, an incredible sunrise was developing just ahead of me. I quickly began to realize that, despite the brilliance and magnificence of its beauty, when a sunrise is directly in front of me, it blinds me. Not only can I no longer see what’s up ahead, but I can no longer admire the beauty right in front of me.
I see a similarity here to the way the Lord works in our lives. Often, when he’s doing a beautiful thing right in front of us, it becomes blinding, all-consuming. We’re unable to recognize the beauty he’s molding from our mess. We can’t see what he is presently doing or what plans he has ahead of us when we’re blinded. All our best-laid plans slip from our white-knuckled grasp. The vision that once seemed so clear shuffles into a mess overnight.
However, just like that sunrise, the light will lift. As the sun moves into the sky above us, we can see all that is in front of us with greater clarity and precision. The light that once blinded us now guides our path.
The same is true of our lives. As we slowly watch God take things into his hands, we find him faithful. His redemptive love lights up our path.
The rising and setting of the sun serve as constant reminders that life comes in seasons. We are told a great deal about this in Ecclesiastes 3:3–8 (KJV):
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”
Sometimes our seasons feel long and heavy, but as surely as the sun rises and sets each day, the Lord has appointed a beginning and an end for each of our moments. Not by accident does the sun set on a season or a fresh, new journey begin.
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So let me challenge you.
Find a beautiful spot in your city to watch the sunrise or sunset. Turn off your phone and be fully present. Ask yourself, What feels blinding in my life right now? What relationship, struggle, hard thing is just too much to even look at directly?
Ask God to give you an extra measure of faith and a keen awareness of him working good in your midst. Ask him to use your current hardship as a light to your path.
Hannah Card is a wonderer and a wanderer. She is a southern-speakin’, Jesus-lovin’ coffee consumer who writes about life, whether pretty or messy (usually leaning toward messy). She is the daughter of two amazing, brave, church planting Jesus followers, the sister of an amazing worship pastor, and a lover of Jesus. She blogs at thissweetlybrokenlife.com.
Photograph © Hannah Card, used with permission
The analogy of the light blinding is a new one to me, and helpful – thanks!