Special Feature
When was the last time an entire day went according to your plans? We set goals and make plans for events we want to happen. Then, our lives take their own course. From traffic jams to a terrifying diagnosis, life refuses to adhere to our plans. What then? Do we look at these detours as road blocks to our happiness?
As beings made in the image of God, we grieve when those we love are separated from us. We detest evil. Our hearts ache when our children hurt. In short, we suffer. The course of our lives seldom follows the charts we draw. We can’t control the circumstances a new day brings. As the seasons of our lives change, and circumstances we didn’t want invade, they leave behind a trail of mental clutter. Without realizing it, we can become mental-hoarders holding onto hurtful thoughts, tucking away lies as if they were truth. When that happens, we can no longer tell the difference between trash and treasures, truth from our own deceptions. By holding onto toxic thoughts and feelings, as if they were valuable, your mind becomes noxious to your spirit.
Yet the sunrise brings the promise of new beginnings. Each new day is celebrated with its magnificence. Our minds are also created to renew each morning. We serve the God of new beginnings. Sunrise Reflections is a daily habit of taking out your mental garbage. This simple practice clears the cares of the world and creates pathways to connect you with the God of the universe.
- Commit to writing three full pages or thirty minutes each morning. Preferably, within the first thirty minutes of waking, sit down to write.
- Write, in longhand with a pen, whatever comes to your mind. Anything. Everything. Spill your thoughts on paper just as they are. Dump the mental clutter on the paper.
- As your mind is set free, your thoughts change. Your spirit takes the lead, and your pen becomes its voice. Let it flow freely. You will be surprised what is allowed to emerge.
The unfailing love God has for us is demonstrated with a new day’s grand opening. There is no better time to greet your Creator. By renewing your mind with each new sunrise, the still small voice inside is magnified and your spirit gains strength to lead. His plans become yours as the new day unfolds—whatever it may bring.
–Rhonda Robinson 
Author of FreeFall, Holding Onto Faith When the Unthinkable Strikes
