Isaiah 60:1

Dragonfly, Shark Valley Visitor's Area, Everglades National Park, July 2012

Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
Isaiah 60:1

As you open your eyes this morning, 
is today a gift or burden?

I know this question might be a struggle for some.
People with more questions than answers, for whom each day is filled with decisions that linger, drawing down energy, stoking the fires of anxiety.
Sometimes it is as if one has indeed fallen down the dark rabbit hole from which all joy, promise, and hope cannot even be imagined, let alone real and present.

Psalm 13 begins to capture the heart of those who struggle as they rise: 
How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I bear pain in my soul,
and have sorrow in my heart all day long?

God does not gloss over pain, nor ignore our struggle,
nor are cheery words and platitudes the best medicine or any medicine for that matter. We arise, you and I, in a complicated world, into our complicated lives. Yet, even amid the darkness in which we find ourselves from time to time, may such light as God gives so enwrap us that others may see a glint of hope and promise and be themselves encouraged. May every moment witness to us and through us of the glory of the Lord, God's certain promise that God is in all things present with us and for us and always so.
Amen.