Daughter-who-shall-rename-nameless-A woke up at 5:30 in the morning (and thought it was the middle of the night) and cried on and off for an hour and half.
Why?
Because she had a runny nose and was doing some sneezing.
"A bloody nose?" you may ask to clarify.
No, a runny nose. As in snot.
Then, 2 nights later, Daughter-who-shall-remain-nameless-B was awake in the middle of the night for over an hour and a half because her bottom itched.
I really don't know what to say about that, other than I just needed to get to sleep. I ended up finally being able to coerce her into bed by laying on the floor in her room.
I'd be lying if I said I enjoyed that.
Back to Daughter A, though. While she was cuddling by me, we saw the sun begin to rise, and slowly but surely, the runny nose became less and less dramatic and traumatizing.
It reminded me so much of when my girls were newborns.
I remember feeling like the world was ending when they would cry at night. I felt so alone and overwhelmed and desperate. Seconds inched by like hours. Sometimes I was so tired that I felt sick. For awhile, I even had the late night/early morning TV schedule memorized.
Did you know that when Gracie was a newborn, our local NBC station replayed The Tonight Show at 4:00 in the morning! I feel like we're all better off with that knowledge ;)
I digress.
But, after a hard, hard night, when the sun would stealthily sneak over the horizon, I would feel hope. Even though I had been awake for far longer than I slept, I felt better.
I don't know anything about "the psychology of sunshine," if there even is such a thing (which I'm guessing there is because of Seasonal Affective Disorder). There is just something life-giving about the sun.
Everything is harder/more difficult at night, and all of those things seem more manageable and less overwhelming in the morning.
Even my girl, Anne of Green Gables, agrees.
But, more importantly, the Bible tells us the same sort of thing.
When King David was literally running for his life, he saw hope in the morning.
I don't know about you, but I'm not running for my life. Sometimes I do fight for joy, though. I love the promise of God's unfailing love, and the utter trust that I can place in Him.
David is speaking more figuratively here (in the context of repentance and such), but the truth is the same.
I don't necessarily know why I'm sharing this with the internet today, but maybe you need to be encouraged.
Whether you're up in the middle of the night with a new baby, a child with a bad dream, or stuck awake with your mind racing, rest in the fact that morning is coming!
Or maybe you're in the midst of a dark season in other ways...we've all been there. Don't lose hope.
There really is an end to a struggle.
There are bits of joy in the midst of sadness.
There is rest at the end of upheaval.
Underneath all of that, though, is the loving faithfulness of God...who walks with us through the difficulty of a long night or trying season.
His mercies really are new every morning.
Enjoy this day!
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