I recently received photos and a message from family visiting other family in Norway. They were out for an evening bike ride – at 10pm!
In the Northern hemisphere, the days are almost at their longest, with early sunrises and late sunsets. The opposite is true here in the south.
As the shortest day fast approaches, the morning alarm seems to ring at closer to midnight than morning. I need to flick on the lights to make tea, only the faintest orange glow dusting the horizon over the ocean. I leave the house before the sun officially puts in an appearance, the first beams of dawn tickling the landscape as I drive.
I don’t find it easy to wake up and get going in the dark. Do you?
A few months ago, when out walking by the beach, I noticed a young boy of about five sitting on the low wall near the walkway, swinging his legs in happy contemplation. At his feet, an abandoned scooter lay overturned, its single wheel spinning.
The boy was alone, with no adult responsible for his wellbeing in sight. A little concerned, I strolled over to him and we got chatting.
“Are you going swimming too?” His first question took me by surprise.
No, I wasn’t going swimming.
“But why not? We’re going to the pool to swim. You can come too. The water’s warm.”
I declined his invitation, looking around a little desperately for the ‘we’ of the swimming pool outing.
“Oh, here’s Papa.”
A man jogged over to us, breathless and red in the face.
“Phew, I can’t keep up when he has his scooter with him!”
We exchanged greetings and chatted for a while. I asked about the trip to the pool. Apparently. it was a regular feature of the school holidays, to get up early and walk along the beach to one of the hotels at the other end, where there was a heated swimming pool open to the public.
“The moment he opens his eyes, he asks ‘What are we doing today, Papa?’ Don’t you?” The boy grinned. With an anxious glance down the path toward his next adventure. “I tell him we’ll have breakfast and then go out. He says he doesn’t want to wait that long!”
The boy hopped off the wall, grabbing his scooter from the ground.
“I can see you need to get going again.” I waved them away. “Enjoy your swim.”
The child sped off, his papa jogging along beside him.
I walked on at my leisurely pace, not thinking too much of the exchange. But then, as is so often the case when I’m strolling along, the Holy Spirit whispered.
What’s the first thing I say when my eyes open in the morning? When the alarm disturbs my dreams of world domination and cups of tea (that’s a story for another day…)?
I confess, it’s usually a groan and a snuggle back under the duvet, especially as the winter solstice approaches.
Eventually, as I pluck up the determination to resist the allure of my warm bed, I recite a verse of Scripture to myself. ‘Arise! Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.’
I don’t say this with any faith-filled conviction or song of worship on my lips. It’s more a prod to action, an ironic joke I share with my Father as I face the inevitable. It’s a new day, and I need to get on with it.
As I walked, the waves crashing and foaming beside me, the breeze gentle and the sun warm, I knew a gentle conviction to change my attitude.
Jesus said “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” The Amplified version expands on this by adding, “…like children [trusting, humble, and forgiving]…”
The little boy I chatted with woke each morning refreshed and eager. He was excited for the day ahead, trusting that his Papa would have made plans for them to enjoy together. He didn’t want to delay longer than necessary, knowing there’d be food and drink provided along the way.
A day with his Papa, loving him, being with him, going on adventures with him, was simply the best day ever. And he didn’t want to waste a moment of it.
No wonder Jesus asks us to become like children. He wants us to wake up in the morning, carefree and excited, trusting him with the daily bread of our lives — the responsibilities, the difficult interactions, the not-very exciting bits of being a grown-up.
I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
John 10:10
Jesus came that we may have life, and have it to the full. There are so many ways he wants to show me his love today, so many adventures to take me on. There are people he wants me to meet, to pray for, to cheer on with the same life and joy he’s given to me. Why ever do I groan at the dawn of a new day?
There was something else that struck me about the cameo appearance of the boy and his papa on the stage of my morning. The day ahead excited the papa as much as it did his son.
He took coffee and rusks to the bedroom, rather than insist on the need for a time-wasting breakfast; he carried the towels and the goggles and the snacks in his backpack, ready to produce when needed; he trotted along, allowing his son the freedom to scoot ahead, knowing he would be there within seconds if the child took a tumble or scraped a knee.
When I wake up, my Father is delighted. He’s got a great day planned. And he wants to join me in it from the moment I open my eyes.
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24
Or, to put it another way, “What are we doing today, Papa?”