Rise and Shine!

Where I live,  this week begins the new school year.  I remember it well from my own childhood.  I remember the excitement of a “first day of school” outfit of new clothes, a new lunchbox . . . in lower grades, I recall new boxes of crayons . . . I recall eagerly getting up and ready to leave home for the bus.  Okay, I also remember this glee didn’t always last beyond the first few days, but it was still good. 

We want and need to grow, to learn, to make an effort, to do what we’re supposed to do.  We often, or I often, find that things were more challenging than I expected.  I love a challenge.  Okay, sometimes . . . often, even, but not always.  There are those days when I don’t want to get out of bed.  Sounds funny, and I am laughing at myself because when I try to “hide under the covers” it never solves anything and never EVER results in my peacefully slipping back to sleep.  I just stew a bit and find negative thought and dread piling up in my mind.  Unhealthy emotions take over.  When I face what lies ahead, for me it’s always better than hiding from it.  A favorite Bible quote says it well and when I designed my business cards, I printed this quote on them. 

“Arise, shine, for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. Isaiah 60:1