Through a Glass Dimly

When the path ahead seems foggy or unclear, 

the only course of action you can take is to step forward.

Anonymous

The first sunrise of the new decade wasn't particularly spectacular. Just a week earlier, the Christmas Eve sunrise had painted the sky, decorating it as brightly as the multi-colored lights on my living room Christmas tree.

December 24, 2019

 Now, that was a sunrise worthy of a new year, a new decade!

But, as is always the case, we don't get to order up sunrises and sunsets like ordering a Diet Dr. Pepper to go from that anonymous voice in the drive-through at McDonald's for the 40-minute drive home.

But, when I bundled up for a sunrise foray to begin the new year, I was certainly hoping for a more spectacular view. Wouldn't a spectacular sunrise translate into a fitting metaphor of a promising new year and a new start?

Every sunrise has its beauty, but this one was less like a glamorous super model and more like comfy-pajama-clad me.

However, as I slipped into the driver's seat and flicked the windshield wipers, the frost stayed in place. And I decided I'd drive the few hundred yards to the backyard silo without taking time to clear it.

While the sky had not exploded with color and personality on the first day of 2020, the intricate ice crystals provided a metaphor ... and a little extra beauty, too.

We don't know what this next year will bring. Honestly, we don't know what the next hour or day will bring. As Type A planners, we might have our to-do lists and our careful plans, but, in reality, that list is just made up of scratches on a piece of paper.

Those plans can be interrupted with things big and small.

 

Life's circumstances may blur our well-planned vision and have us searching "through a glass dimly."

I'm not big on resolutions. They just provide more reasons for me to feel as though I've failed. But maybe my focus should reflect on focusing on the moment - whether it's crystal clear or obscured in some way:

A Time to Think

All the world is an utterance of the Almighty. Its countless beauties, its exquisite adaptations, all speak to you of Him. –Phillips Brooks, clergyman and author

A Time to Act

Open your heart to the beauty that surrounds you.

A Time to Pray

Dear Lord, please help me to see the beauty of every day.

Devotional (in blue) from Guideposts.

 

So, I will appreciate the less spectacular sunrise. And I'll be thankful for the chance to see another one.

(For the record, the final sunset of 2019 wasn't particularly remarkable either. Though, to be fair, I didn't spend much time trying to capture it since it was during the K-State football game. 

Sunset, December 31, 2019

Appreciate every little beautiful moment

 in every day of your life. 

Give it a try 

and you'll see the world from another perspective. 

Thea Christine May

Sunset, December 31, 2019