The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun. Ecclesiastes 11:7

It was that moment, that instant when you lie half-awake but not fully aware of everything around you. I could feel it more than see. The room was a little lighter than on previous mornings even with closed eyes and tightly sealed blinds. I opened my eyes fully and gathered my sea legs, then walked to the window and opened the east-facing blind. There it was…warm beautiful sunlight! Oh, there was still frost on the rooftops, but there was promise in that wondrous light, promise that today might be one of those January reprieves from the cold, gray days that dominate so much of winter in Missouri. And then it dawned on me, just had the morning light, that I had been cranky recently without knowing why. My world had seemed out of sorts and it was all about light. We all likely suffer, to a degree from light deprivation. For some, it is a serious physical and psychological condition. For most, it’s just a cranky attitude, that out of sorts feeling. And so, it is, for me.

We ought to see the face of God every morning before we see the face of man.

Dwight L Moody, evangelist

If you’ve paid any attention at all to decorating trends, you’ll be aware that gray is the current color of choice for just about everything, 

indoors and out. In that context, I love it too. But a gray day is a horse of a different color, so to speak. I long for those January surprises that come in the form of 50-60-degree days filled with sunshine. Those are the days when you can find me exploring my landscape beds for tiny indications that spring really is just around the corner. It’s surprising how many plants begin to stir much earlier than you might think. A touch of warmth inspires a touch of green that will then lie discreetly on the surface until its instincts tell it to forge ahead. Many of my perennials poke tiny tips through the moisture-laden ground even when covered in a blanket of snow. Snowdrops are the first, then crocus, and we all find daffodils basking in the foundation warmth of south-facing walls quite early in the year.

…as the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, when the tender grass

springs out of the earth, through sunshine after rain…. II Samuel 23:4

And have you noticed the trees, their buds still standing dormant from last fall, yet swollen with confidence that soon they’ll be able to

spring forth with new life and add color to our landscape once again? Chances are some of them become overanxious and open too early. They’ll be nipped by frost and have to begin the process again. But rest assured they will, because there is a cycle, established long ago, that just keeps moving forward. Yes, it may stumble a bit here and there, but it will find its balance and step out again. The plan for nature is a sure and steady one.

For we are God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do

the good things he planned for us long ago.  

We humans, however, were given the freedom to make our own decisions and to choose wisely, we must first set our sights on a light that is eternal. Just as plants need sunlight and warmth to flourish, so do we. The light that causes plants to grow springs from the same source as the Light that fills our hearts with true joy and peace. Without both kinds of light, our lives are barren deserts, void of life.

He thrives before the sun, and his shoots spread out over his garden. Job 8:16

So, open your eyes to the beauty of a sun-filled morning sky and open your heart to the light of Jesus. Then your garden will bloom in a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes and faces. We can always trust the Son to be there even when the sun is hiding. 

Jesus said I am the light of the world. John 9:5

God made us all. The animals, the stars, the whole world. But we humans, His children,

have always been the apple of His eye.  Soul Fuel: Bear Grylls