The Sunrise

I’ve always been a night person. I always thought all the fun happens at night and that’s the time when all the vibes are the best and all the enjoyment happens, right? There’s nothing like a 2am conversation or a nighttime drive or a good night out.  

However, the first time I saw a sunrise changed my love for the night forever. The very first time I was told about the beauty of sunrises, I was so skeptical. The first off putting thing was having to wake up EXTRA early JUST to see the sun go up. Now, it didn’t make sense to me because, as an avid sunset watcher, I didn’t think they’d be much of a difference in the sunset compared to the sunrise. 

Every morning person I’d meet would coax me, time and time again, into watching the sunrise. “It just hits different”, “It’s something you’ve never seen before”, “It’s a life changing experience”. I felt like they were all exaggerating. And in my opinion, sunsets were just better. 

I’d always have trouble waking up as well, so sunrises just weren’t a plan for me. However, one random Tuesday, I could not, for the life of me, sleep. As I tried tossing and turning in my bed, switching positions and trying to put one leg out and keep one leg in the blanket, nothing I would do would help me fall asleep. 

As I checked my phone, it read “4:45”, and I decided, or rather God decided, it was about time for me to see the sunrise. As I scrolled through TikTok and Instagram simultaneously, minutes became hours and the clock magically switched from 4am to 6am. Hesitantly, I got out of bed, walked toward the front door and opened it, greeted by semi cool, crisp air as the beautiful sound of baby birds kissed my ears. 

I looked at my phone again, with the sunrise scheduled for 6:15, sleepily watching and waiting now. As 6:15am hit, nothing. By this point, I was ready to go back in and fall asleep, but something told me “be patient”. 6:20am came, nothing. 6:25am? You guessed right, still nothing. Just the hue of pale yellow on the horizon, nothing special that I haven’t seen before. 

As I was just about ready to head back in, at exactly 6:27am, I noticed a light red color in the sky, and I thought “huh, that’s kinda cool”. 6:29am, a deep shade of orange introduced itself as well and I thought “wow, that looks kind of nice”. 

Then, in a blink of an eye, when I least expected it, at 6:32am, as the colours pink, yellow, orange and a bit of lilac mingled together in the pale yellow horizon, accompanied by a big shining ball of intense orange, I felt something in me I had never felt before. It was like I had been seeing in black and white all my life and this sunrise introduced me to colors I had never even known before. 

Not only where the morning people right, they had HIGHLY downplayed the whole experience. Every morning after that felt like a privilege to see the sunrise, patiently waiting for it. It comprised of the same sun, the same colors, and maybe, to some, look the exact same each day, but each and every day brought an even better appreciation for it. It always felt like I was looking at it for the first time, my love for the sunrise getting deeper without me knowing it.

Embrace the sunrises, when you still have the time, when the opportunity arises. Be open to things that sound absolutely foreign to you. Step out of your routine. Be patient because beautiful things take time. Ecclesiastics 3:11 “He makes all things beautiful in His time.” Allow God to paint your heart with the beautiful colors of the sunrise. 

(I hope you realized half way that I’m not just talking about “sunrises”)