SAMANTHA ELLEY reflects on the joy of a sunrise and the hope faith brings in a time of sadness…
Northern Rivers, New South Wales, Australia
A sunrise. PICTURE: Dawid Zawila/Unsplash
“Because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” – Luke 1:78-79
Who doesn’t love a glorious sunrise? Reds, purples, oranges streak across the sky as they make way for the sun’s appearance. The star of the day. The promise of new beginnings, a day filled with expectation.
At the moment, hubby and I enjoy every single sunrise as soon as it becomes light. This is because we don’t have curtains on our bedroom window as yet and we face the east. Priorities have gone into getting carpet and other pieces of furniture for the house.
“This verse was given to me by one of my dearest friends who currently sits by her mother’s side in palliative care. Her mother is a beautiful lady who, as we were growing up, would host her daughter’s bunch of unruly teenage friends and treat us as equals. Always making us feel welcome. Always up for a chat.”
We aren’t in a rush, however, as the sunrises really have been lovely.
This verse was given to me by one of my dearest friends who currently sits by her mother’s side in palliative care. Her mother is a beautiful lady who, as we were growing up, would host her daughter’s bunch of unruly teenage friends and treat us as equals. Always making us feel welcome. Always up for a chat.
As a technical college teacher for secretaries, she even wrote and published a textbook and in her examples, used the names of her daughter’s friends. Somewhere out there is a secretarial handbook that literally has my name in it.
Without fail, every year, we would receive a beautifully home-made Christmas card, written in the beautiful penmanship of my friend’s mum.
Now every day that the sun rises on her, it is a blessing for my friend, her sister and the many grandchildren who are constantly by her side. These are dark days for the family as they watch their matriarch grow weaker and weaker.
My friend, however, has hope. Hope that her mother will be going to a better place. Hope that her mother’s feet will be guided “into the way of peace”. Hope that her mother will no longer be in pain caused by her cancer.
My friend knows of God’s tender mercy as she has prayed with her mum and feels the support of family and friends around her. Each day the sun rises, she has had more time with her mum, even learning to change the batteries in her hearing aid for her.
So as the shadow of death casts it’s long fingers over the family, my friend can know that although there will be a day her mum won’t see the sun rise, she will be, by then, in the everlasting light, at peace and pain-free in the presence of the Most High Almighty God.
Thank you Jeannie Pollard for being a part of our lives and for being you.
