Before the Rain: Why I like mornings now.

I may be moody, and I may whine a lot on twitter, but I can usually convince myself to be content. It takes a lot to make me lose my cool. Even so, there are a few things that really get to me, and these three top the list: the dark, snakes, and mornings (in that order).

Imagine my delight when I sensed God leading me here, to a teacher education program, which would by necessity end with at least a semester of teaching. And teaching, of course, means mornings. [cue whining] I moved forward trusting that if He could see me through the first three semesters of grad school, He could take care of one semester of early mornings and long days in public school. So this morning, at 8:05, I backed my car out of a mountain driveway and headed to school.

*Let me stop right there and point out just how kind He is. Because of my cooperating teacher’s schedule, I don't have to be at school until 9:15 every morning (at least until mid-semester when I switch to a different school). Not only does that mean I can sleep a little later, but I also got to spend the holiday weekend in the mountains with my family.

Though thankful to be leaving at 8:05 instead of 7:05, I was a little sorry I didn’t make time to spend with God before I started my day. With that thought in mind I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the sun just rising over Mt. LeConte. There it was, sitting on the same peak I climbed a few months ago, the way it does every morning -- and there He was, faithful as always.

“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” (Gen. 8:22)
“From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised.” (Ps. 133:3)

I silently thanked Him for that small blessing (the sun comes up a little later in the mountains) and enjoyed the quiet mountain road that would be flooded with tourists in a few hours. As I rounded a curve, a rainbow stretched out of the hills to my right, over the river and road, and back down into the hills on my left. I thought of Noah, and God's promise to be faithful both before and after the flood to the one who "walked with God."

“Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh... But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark... Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.” (Gen. 6:17-18, 22)
“It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, and I will remember my covenant... and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh.” (Gen. 9:14-15)

When the raindrops hit my windshield, I knew that God had gone before me. He who makes the sun come up every morning, who can make rainbows before the rain and only minutes after the sunrise, had remembered His promise. Simple as it may seem, I drove to school knowing that He would carry me through this day and every one after because “the steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand. I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken.” (Ps. 37:23-25)

Ever annoyed by the sound of windshield wipers, I turned on the radio just in time to hear this song. I think maybe I can get used to mornings.