Summary: <br> Most every morning I hear my husband singing in the kitchen “here comes the sun, little darling, here comes the sun and I say, it’s all right.” Mornings are my favorite. That’s one of the many reasons why. Here’s another:<br> Lamentations 3: 22-23 says “The Lord’s unfailing love and mercy still continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise.”<br> Here in BIG Life we say each day we are the recipients of the greatest gift wrapped in the rising sun, the gift of a brand new day of life. I’m a total sunrise junkie. There’s just something about watching the sun appear on the horizon to shine upon the new day. Being here on the island for the past 2 weeks, I haven’t missed a single sunrise. Every day I’ve walked onto the sand and waited for that moment, that moment when the slate is clean and God’s mercies are new with his unfailing love. Morning.<br> Watching the sunrise, I’ve learned 3 valuable things about life.<br> 1. The photo never captures the full picture.<br> No matter how good your camera is, the beauty you see simply cannot be fully captured in the photo. It’s almost frustrating to not be able to document the true beauty of a magnificent sky. In fact, it can be so frustrating, you can miss the magic of the moment trying to get the perfect picture.<br> IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. Nothing compares to the real deal.<br> I can work to get the right angle. I can use a filter. I can even touch my phone screen to adjust the lighting and make the colors pop (hey, did you know that’s a real thing. I discovered yesterday morning during the sunrise how many people don’t know about this little trick of magic. On your cell phone, when you’re taking a photo, touch and hold the lightest part of the screen and it will adjust the exposure and give you a more colorful dramatic picture! You’re welcome.)<br> However, you still won’t capture the absolute magnificence of what your eyes behold in that moment. You have to be there to really see it.<br> I wonder if God designed it that way so that we would stay in the moment? I wonder if what he really wants is for us to show up for life and see it for ourselves instead of settling for the photo of it?<br> The greatest beauty in your life is found when you show up for it. Show up for it. For what? Real life. Ordinary every days of life. This is the real stuff. God doesn’t just save beautiful sunrises for Saturday mornings, he brings them on Wednesday mornings, right in the middle of the week and says I hope you show up for it.<br> Someone once told me to consider the magnificent paintings in the sky as God’s personal work of art just for me. Imagine that he would love you that much. That he would make the sun to rise in it’s beauty and splendor just for you. My favorite color is hot pink. Last night we walked up the coast to a fabulous restaurant right on the sand and there in the sky were the boldest, deepest shades of my favorite color. Could it have been for me? Why yes, I believe it could have been.<br> Don’t you know God loves you that much? Don’t you know he is that involved in the details of your life? Don’t you know he would paint the sky just for you, his beloved daughter? Oh what more would he do to turn your eyes upon him and capture your heart … there’s nothing he wouldn’t do. He works through both blessings and burdens to show himself at work in your life. He appears in both success and struggle, happiness and heartache, sunrise and sunset. All of this to prove his eye is on you and his plan is for you.<br> But, the picture you get will never capture the full reality of what is happening.<br> The second thing I’ve learned while watching every sunrise here is:<br> 2. There are things happening you can’t see.<br>
