Happy summer everyone! My husband and I had an amazing weekend away for our anniversary. We walked the beach, strolled the town, and watched, from the balcony of our hotel room, a beautiful beach sunset!
Do you prefer the sunrise or sunset? I’ve got to confess, I looove my sleep! So, I’m sure I have missed several beautiful sunrises! However, there is one that I made my family get up for when we were staying at the Yavapai Point, South Rim area of the Grand Canyon. We got up at 5 a.m., bundled in blankets, and walked over to the center of the railing to get the best view of the canyon.
We were not alone, several other families joined us as we waited for dawn. As the sun slowly emerged, it was as though I could feel the rotation of the earth moving me slightly forward as the rising sun took over every crevice of the Grand Canyon. The sunrise in the Grand Canyon penetrated my soul in such a deep, spiritual way that has never left me. The all-empowering light of Jesus met me at that sunrise!
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Have you ever heard the phrase, “It’s always darkest before the dawn?” I have. What I recently discovered is that there is no truth to it; it is just a myth. I equated that phrase to the darkest of night being my “problems” and the dawn being my “breakthrough” or “answer.” In my mind, that phrase gave me hope that even through the darkest of nights, the light of day will slowly emerge until it outshines the darkness, bringing about the glory and brilliance of a new day.
When I found out it was just a myth, the Holy Spirit shined a light on a new way of thinking about that phrase. 🙂 As believers, Jesus IS the light in our lives.
I am not surprised that I felt Jesus so strongly at the Grand Canyon sunrise. He IS the light of the World. Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. He has always been with me, even:
- In my darkest moments when I felt unworthy and unloved
- During my darkest emotions when anxiety and depression isolated me
- In one of the darkest places I went death, in my mind, was taking my mom away from me, and as hard as I tried to see the light, the darkness seemed prevalent
Looking back over those trials, I know that in spite of what I was FEELING, God was always with me. I was treading lightly and feeble in my walk with Jesus in those early days, but He was there! It is in those darkest moments that God can really move mountains, break strongholds, perform miracles, and reveal Himself to us. Complete surrender allows the Holy Spirit to do only what He can do.
After my mother’s death, in exhaustion and complete surrender to Jesus, He showed me all He had done and how present He was during the last few months of my mother’s life. He healed her paralyzed body after her stroke, stopped her from going blind, she had a “vision” of my future family, and all of her medical bills were paid! God did so much, but it was only revealed to me when I surrendered to Jesus and allowed the Holy Spirit to work in my life. I was too focused on my circumstances or the trial I was going through to see what God was doing and had done.
It was in that “darkest hour” that I TRULY first saw the LIGHT of Jesus. The foundation of my relationship with Jesus was built on this tragedy. My mom, a true servant of Jesus, would have loved the fact that God’s goodness was revealed to me in such a special way after this difficult time.
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We live in a fallen, dark world but we have a choice on what we choose to focus on: the light of Jesus or the darkness of the world. Since my mother’s death 28 years ago, I have focused more and more on Jesus. Is it easy? No. But I realized I can either give power to the problem or power to Jesus. If I focus on the problem, how can I focus on Jesus? Jesus needs to be first, my friends!
In the song, “God of All My Days” by Casting Crowns I am reminded of all God IS for ME:
In my worry, God You are my stillness
In my searching, God You are my answers
In my blindness, God You are my vision
In my bondage, God You are my freedom
In my weakness, God You are my power
You’re the reason that I sing
‘Cause You’re the God of all my days
Here is the song, if you would like to hear it: Godofallmydays
Believing God’s best for YOU my friends!!
Shanon 🙂
I am the light of the world image: NewLifeChristianChurch
God of All my Days: https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/33224299/Casting+Crowns/God+of+All+My+Days
Sunrise image: visibleearth.nasa.gov
Where you go I also go image: Godcaresbro
“Do not let any set of circumstances intimidate you. The more challenging your day, the more of My Power I place at your disposal. I know what each of your days will contain, and I empower you accordingly. Look to Me for all that you need, and watch to see what I will do. As your day, so shall your strength be” (Young, Sarah 330).
Several people I know have had challenging, fearful situations lately. Job loss, health problems, disabilities, and family emergencies are some of the difficulties they have faced. Fear can easily take root when we are dealing with a case of the “unknowns”. “What if I can’t find another job?” “What if I need surgery?” “What if…?” One of the things fear forces us to do is to decide to either put our faith in action according to God’s promises or regard the scripture as simply words on paper, “simply repeating what God says” (Chambers, June 4th).
hen the spirit moves me! So, if you ever see me bopping around my house, singing loudly to Casting Crowns, you know the Holy Spirit is coming alive in me to conquer the fear that the enemy is trying to have taken root in me.
time to grow as a couple, travel, grow roots in a solid neighborhood…guess what?! God had His own plan for us.
mentioned in a previous blog, God slowly watered the seed of writing He had placed in my heart. Over the course of a few years, He encouraged me to keep a journal, write, and read. I devoured the Word, devotionals, and Christian books. I also applied and got accepted into SNHU’s English and Creative Writing Bachelor’s degree program. Through hard work, perseverance, and a whole lot of Jesus’ I graduated in the class of 2017.
Shout out to Grandma Marji, Happy Birthday!! May 1st was her birthday and I sure do miss her wisdom and our very long phone conversations! I imagine her sitting on the golden steps of her mansion, healed from all the world’s afflictions, with the saints gathered all around her as she shares her story. “When I wake up in the Land of Glory, With the saints I will tell my story, There will be one name that I proclaim…” (Big Daddy Weave). Love you Grandma and we cherish your sweet memory. 🙂
Heaven Sent Sentiments 