Watching a sunrise is good for the soul!
Saturday morning I got to watch the sun rise. Although it was from my desk chair in my room (which really faces the wrong way to watch the sunrise), I still marveled at the way the sky morphed from indigo to charcoal grey to blue, then to "really bright" as the sunlight started coming in my window. Robert Sheffey is said to have said "Boy, bring me my sheepskin. I see the sunlight comin' through the trees and it makes me want to pray." Well, I see the sunlight streaming in my window, and it makes me want to write.
The last week has been very intense. It's been a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. College students have a stereotype of only seeing the sun rise by staying up all night. What would you think if I told you that I got to see the sun rise by getting up early?
A common thread that I've been noticing this semester is encouragement to live more aggressively and truly attempt something so big that I can't do it without God's help. Allow me to give you an example. Last Wednesday (the 13th), I worked on an Intermediate Mechanics problem until 1:00 in the morning. I got to bed about 2:00 a.m., and got about 5 hours of sleep before my 8:00 Mechanics of Materials class. Hooray for being rock-stubborn and getting things done...
The next night, I also did something wild and crazy. The local Campus Crusade has a tradition they call the "Cru Challenge". Every year, ideally after the first freshman chemistry test, all the willing volunteers carpool to a preselected location and hike a fourteener. I had wanted to participate this year, but I knew that I had 8:00 class the next day and an afternoon flight at 3:00, neither of which contributed much to the cause. However, I got talked into it, so as I told my recent friend Chris Carey, "this will be my first fourteener. On 5 hours of sleep. At night. With Cru. And my first class is 8:00 the next morning."
About 700 vertical feet short of the summit of Mt. Bierstadt (at about 1:20 in the morning), it started snowing and the decision was made to turn back. I was content not to summit, because I quickly found that I was running out of endurance. The walk down was cold, and I was thankful for every item of clothing that I brought.
I made it back to my house at 5:30 after 5 hours of hard hiking and 1 1/2 hours of riding in the car. I slept until 7:30, and was only 7 minutes late for my 8:00 class. I got home at about 3:30 that afternoon, and went to bed at 4:30. I slept solidly for 11 hours, and was wide awake at 3:30 AM Saturday.
What does one do at 3:30 in the morning with a full night's sleep? I'll tell you. One catches up on leftover mess from the preceding week. One also watches the sunrise. I'm here to tell you that it is true what the Bible says. Psalm 30:5 (KJV) says "weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." Also in Lamentations 3:22-23, we learn that His mercies are "new every morning." That alone is enough reason to enjoy a sunrise.
That's my story for now, everybody. The moral? Sunrises are cool, and God is good, as always. God Bless, and I'll write more soon!
The last week has been very intense. It's been a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. College students have a stereotype of only seeing the sun rise by staying up all night. What would you think if I told you that I got to see the sun rise by getting up early?
A common thread that I've been noticing this semester is encouragement to live more aggressively and truly attempt something so big that I can't do it without God's help. Allow me to give you an example. Last Wednesday (the 13th), I worked on an Intermediate Mechanics problem until 1:00 in the morning. I got to bed about 2:00 a.m., and got about 5 hours of sleep before my 8:00 Mechanics of Materials class. Hooray for being rock-stubborn and getting things done...
The next night, I also did something wild and crazy. The local Campus Crusade has a tradition they call the "Cru Challenge". Every year, ideally after the first freshman chemistry test, all the willing volunteers carpool to a preselected location and hike a fourteener. I had wanted to participate this year, but I knew that I had 8:00 class the next day and an afternoon flight at 3:00, neither of which contributed much to the cause. However, I got talked into it, so as I told my recent friend Chris Carey, "this will be my first fourteener. On 5 hours of sleep. At night. With Cru. And my first class is 8:00 the next morning."
About 700 vertical feet short of the summit of Mt. Bierstadt (at about 1:20 in the morning), it started snowing and the decision was made to turn back. I was content not to summit, because I quickly found that I was running out of endurance. The walk down was cold, and I was thankful for every item of clothing that I brought.
I made it back to my house at 5:30 after 5 hours of hard hiking and 1 1/2 hours of riding in the car. I slept until 7:30, and was only 7 minutes late for my 8:00 class. I got home at about 3:30 that afternoon, and went to bed at 4:30. I slept solidly for 11 hours, and was wide awake at 3:30 AM Saturday.
What does one do at 3:30 in the morning with a full night's sleep? I'll tell you. One catches up on leftover mess from the preceding week. One also watches the sunrise. I'm here to tell you that it is true what the Bible says. Psalm 30:5 (KJV) says "weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." Also in Lamentations 3:22-23, we learn that His mercies are "new every morning." That alone is enough reason to enjoy a sunrise.
That's my story for now, everybody. The moral? Sunrises are cool, and God is good, as always. God Bless, and I'll write more soon!
posted by The student of life at 11:00 PM
1 Comments:
Congratulations on the 14er! I've never done a night hike. You brought a flashlight, I hope? Sunrises are pretty much awesome.
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