Daily Bible Readings

Verse for the Day:
"His face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD." (Exodus 34:29)

I sat on the edge of a soybean field today and watched the sunrise. It was by choice I sat beside the bean field, but it was not by choice I was up at that hour.

I had a bad day yesterday. Several disturbing and painful things happened and I took them more to heart than I should. I don't know whether I should have let the incidents bother me or not, but they did, and I was hurt and upset.

There was no way I could settle down to sleep last night. I worked on a puzzle, straightened the house, took out the trash, did some sewing and worked on the computer. Still I wasn't tired enough, or relaxed enough to rest.

And that is how I found myself sitting on the hood of my car at 5:30 this morning, watching God paint a masterpiece.

The beauty and wonder of a sunrise surpass anything known to man. As I sat quietly, the deep rose color that was creeping across the sky began to seep into my soul.

It allowed me to look at my life and its problems with the proverbial rose colored glasses. Those wonderful glasses put things into perspective and take the sting from hurts and mistakes.

As the rose deepened, the clouds took on a pale pink and dark lavender blend - reminding me that life is a mixture of light and shadow. Without shadow, the light would not have much meaning. Shadows add depth and dimension and keep life from being dull. Well, yesterday was anything but dull.

In the center of all this beauty, a golden glow began to grow. The warm gold reminded me that my life is precious to Jesus. He died to bring me to Him. He desires my fellowship. That thought warms my life and puts all the little unwelcome occurrence into the background where they belong.

Then I looked up. Overhead, in the midst, of all this color was a sliver of moon. It was shining forth bravely with a pale silvery light. The moon was doing the job God had given it to do - reflecting the light of the sun.

Isn't that what I'm supposed to be doing? God gave me the job of reflecting the Light of the Son! If I allow little hurts and disappointments to upset me, I can't reflect the Light of Jesus.

What if the moon had given up and said, "I can't compete with this riot of color?" The beauty of that sunrise would have been incomplete. If I allow little hurts and petty jealousies to dim my glow for Jesus, His Masterpiece of my life will be incomplete.

Lord help me remember that I can't reflect You when I'm too caught up in me!