An Unexpected Sunrise Date

This weekend, I had the unexpected joy of getting to go on FCA's beach weekend.  This has been on my Furman bucket list since freshman year, and it wasn't looking like it was going to happen, but God made a way for me to spend some wonderful time with Him and some dear friends.  I feel refreshed, renewed, and deeply thankful after a weekend away that I'll always treasure.

Here is just one of the many beautiful things God taught me this weekend…

For those of you who don't know, I basically idolize getting eight hours of sleep every night.  I go to great lengths to arrange my schedule to make this possible and prioritize it above almost everything else.  Well, this past week, I stayed up much later than normal every night to get homework done and I can't remember for sure when the last time was that I got more than 6.5 hours or so of sleep.  On Friday, my car had to leave Furman late, so we didn't arrive to the beach until after midnight.

After saying hello to everyone, I rolled out my sleeping bag on the floor and laid down, eager to get a good night of rest!  Well… that didn't go exactly as I'd hoped.  The floor was hard, and I awoke often throughout the night.  I woke up as the sun began to rise and decided that it wasn't likely I'd fall back asleep.  I was just staring at the ceiling and thinking.

My typical response to this situation would usually be grumpiness.  At times like this in the past, I've counted out the number of hours of sleep I got in hopes to get pity from someone else on the sad, small number.  I've taken account of every part of my body that doesn't feel refreshed in order to lament an overall lack of energy.  I've let it get me in a general state of disappointment and frustration.

This time, for whatever reason, I simply decided not to have that reaction.  I thought about all the crazy sleeping conditions I'll likely experience on the race and chose to be thankful for my night on the floor.  As I laid there, I thanked God that I slept someplace warm, dry, dark, safe, and quiet.  I thanked Him that I was surrounded all night by some of His daughters.  I hadn't exactly "caught up" on sleep like I had hoped, but I still felt deeply thankful for all of the positives of the situation. 

Then, my eyes drifted toward the sliding glass door as a rocking chair on the porch swayed in the breeze.  Immediately, I sensed God whisper, "Come away with me."  How could I ever deny an invitation like that?  Why would I ever want to?  I grabbed my Bible and notebook and hopped across the floor in my sleeping bag.  (In retrospect, there was probably a more graceful way to do this…)

As I sat down in the rocking chair, I was immediately enveloped in peace and joy and thankfulness.  The sunrise was beautiful and the seagulls danced above the waves.  I felt so… in love.  In love with the Creator of the universe.  I simply read through the Psalms, loving on Him and letting Him love on me.

With gentleness and affection, God was showing me that He really is all that I need.  I don't need a perfect night of sleep to feel joy, peace, and strength.  I thanked God for the sleep He did give me, but recognized that the strength for the day was coming from His steadfast love in the morning, not eight hours of physical rest.  After years of idolizing sleep, I quit counting back the hours I'd had long enough to let God show me that He truly is better than sleep.  He's actually a better source of strength and joy and rest than laying motionless for a specific length of time.  (Who knew?!)

I entered the day feeling rested and joyful and excited and peaceful.  I did not long to go back to bed or even take an afternoon nap.  I was overwhelmed with the love of God, who had just invited me to spend the morning with Him and Him alone on the beach at sunrise.  (He is so romantic!)  I hope I never fail to respond to those invitations with a resounding "YES!" no matter what I have to sacrifice, be it a few more hours of sleep, eleven months with friends and family, or the life I had envisioned for myself.  Experiencing more of His love is truly worth it all…