The sunrise this morning was incredible, truly incredible. Believe it or not, I see the sunrise about 6 mornings a week! With the schedule change of transitioning full time to AOG World Relief, I have had to fit in my daily bike rides early early in the morning. It was a difficult transition at first, but I have come to love the early morning ritual.
Today’s sunrise was even more spectacular than usual. One thing that I love about Vietnam is how big the sky is here. And, of course, I know…the sky isn’t really bigger here….but you can see a lot more of it at once. Not as much vertical competition in this city as in others that I have lived in ☺ All that to say, this morning I was left breathless as pinks, oranges, reds, light blue and black were painted literally-panoramically around me…with the full moon in one direction and the coming sun in the opposite.
As I rode in wonder, I found myself thanking God for such a beautiful start to the day.
The colors changed moment by moment. The sky went from multi-colored to solid, brilliant blue within a matter of minutes.
It got me thinking…it got me thinking how the sunrise is one of the best physical representations of time that we have.
The persistence of time- it goes on whether we like it or not. It goes on whether we choose to acknowledge it or not. It goes on whether we “see” it or not. It goes on.
The sunrise this morning made me thinking about how quickly things change. It made me think how things change whether choose for them to…or not. It made me think how things change even if we aren’t conscious of them. It made me think how sometimes there isn’t much power over change. It made me think how sometimes there isn’t much power over circumstance.
But.
We can choose our response.
In the glory of the sunrise this morning…it would be easy to be sad that it didn’t last longer. It would be easy to be sad when it was over (when the colors resolved to blue). It would be easy to miss it (with the aid of the ‘snooze’ option).
And. None of those options are necessarily bad or wrong.
But.
I have been trying to live differently. Like I have said many times before, I am trying to be fully present. I saw that option starkly offered before me this morning amidst the changing colors.
So, as a representation of a much larger life decision that I am trying to daily live in.
I just enjoyed.
I just enjoyed watching the colors.
I just enjoyed the encroaching heat of the day.
And at the end, I was grateful to have witnessed such a beautiful start to the morning.
Here and now.
Grace and peace and the third way,
Kait
