Sacrifices and Rewards

Let there be light.

I recently took a family vacation to the beach. When I was growing up, my family vacationed every year on the Florida panhandle. I love the Gulf of Mexico and the sugar white sands there. My hubby’s family vacationed on the Atlantic side of Florida. He loves the waves in the Atlantic Ocean.

Now that I have my own family, we have visited both and I find incredible beauty in both. I believe that the seashore is some of God’s best work. I have so many fabulous memories of visiting beaches, wherever they may be. There’s something about the vastness of the ocean that I find incredibly calming and inspiring all at once.

However, what I really miss the most about the Gulf side of Florida are the sunsets. The sun doesn’t set over the beaches on the Atlantic. I have watched countless breathtaking sunsets over the Gulf of Mexico and I commented to my hubby on this trip that I really missed them.

He told me with a twinkle in his eye, that we could watch the sun rise over the Atlantic. Did he seriously think I wanted to get up by 6:00 AM on our vacation to watch the sunrise? Aren’t vacations for resting? Did I mention that he’s a major morning person?

He asked me every night before we went to bed, if I wanted to get up and watch the sunrise. I told him each night, maybe the next day. Still, I have to say I was curious. I’ve never seen the sun rise over the ocean. I knew if it was anything like a sunset, it would be spectacular.

When Friday came, I knew I had to make a decision. We were leaving on Saturday. We set the alarm to get up early.

When we arrived at the beach, we weren’t alone. It was by no means crowded, but there were other people there. Some were exercising, but others had cameras or were sitting on towels or chairs waiting.

The sky was tinged a beautiful pink and we quietly waited. And then, my hubby whispered, “There it is!”

It truly was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. It wasn’t gradual. The sun wasn’t there and then, “Pop!”, it was. I felt like I was in Genesis, when God said, “Let there be light.”

I sat in complete awe of creation and of our Creator. It struck me at that moment that to see the face of God, we sometimes have to make sacrifices. We have to get up early to spend some time with Him or to read the Bible, or we have to go to bed early on Saturday to make a Sunday worship service. Sometimes we have to say “no,” to something so we can say “yes,” to Him.

But, the sacrifices are always worth it, if they draw us closer to Him. Sunsets are beautiful, but easy. They take little sacrifice to observe. That sunrise was purely spiritual. I am thrilled that I didn’t miss it and I am reminded that sacrifices often bring us rewards beyond measure. I will try to remember that the next time I’m trudging uphill. Maybe you will too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂