(Decided this photo would be nice following a hurricane)

When we go to the beach for vacation, usually we rent a house that is directly on the beachfront. Being right on the sand, not having a road with traffic in-between our house and the water, and having an unblocked view of the sunrise or sunset is a top priority for me. Yes, we pay dearly for that luxury, but it is well worth it one time a year.

Without fail, every time I get up extremely early to see the sunrise, I am not disappointed. The dark sky slowly comes to life as the sun begins its journey upward. The colors change from black to darkened blue tones to greys, then add a hue of pink, then oranges and yellows. The clouds burst with these rich colors and express themselves with pure joy! The yellow ball of a sun creeps its way above the horizon and then in a matter of minutes it completely brightens the awakened world. Witnessing this takes my breath away and can even make me cry, because I just watched the birth of a new day.

With photography as a hobby of mine, I typically take my camera along for the show. The goal is to capture the grandeur of the moment, the true colors of the morning sunrise in all of it’s brilliance. I take multiple photos of the sun’s rising, each time hoping that this one will actually portray exactly the colors and sense of what I am seeing. Not one ever does. Not one shows that view as I see it in person. My camera cannot capture the truth of that sunrise’s glorious splendor. Because of this, I have to watch it for myself, in person, and try to find an open memory card in my mind that can store that image.

I have learned a valuable lesson in this. In comparison, for us to really see the Lord’s true nature, we have to see Him face to face. A mere picture or someone else telling us about Him is not the same thing. To say we know Him and yet not seek His face, means He cannot be truly known or represented by us. There has to be a personal encounter with the Son. To know Him is to be in awe of Him! Looking to the Lord Jesus in the morning will not disappoint us. He will fill us with that same joy and excitement that we experience at a sunrise!

I Corinthians 13:12 “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then shall I know fully, even as I have been fully known.”

Psalm 113:3 “From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!”

Psalm 19:6 “It’s rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them; and there is nothing hidden from its heat.”

Food for thought: When is the last time you watched the sun rise?

Fun fact: Small particles, droplets or molecules cause light to change directions. This is called ‘scattering‘. Shorter wavelength colors like blue and violet get scattered out, leaving the longer wavelength colors of yellow, orange and red. That is what give us the beautiful sunrise.
“Clouds catch the last red-orange rays of the setting sun and the first light of the dawn like a theatre screen, and reflect this light to the ground.” Dr. Stephen Corfidi

Photo by: Kari Wiseman – Beverly Beach, FL.