Sunrise

I was woken up this morning at around 4:15 by the sound of my daughter gently crying as she entering my bedroom. She’s basically been in the pool non-stop since school got out and her dedication has yielded a painful case of swimmer’s ear.

A couple of children’s Tylenol and a quick prayer got her settled back down, but I had an unusually hard time falling back asleep. It could have been that I was thirsty, or that my back was sore, or that I was hot and feeling angry at myself for not pushing my wife harder on using the A/C instead of the window fan last night. Either way, I was up.

When I was just getting started in ministry, one of my mentors prayed for me and said “Lord, if Bert ever wakes up during the night, remind him that it’s You, calling him to pray.” It’s pretty rare for me to wake up during the night. I normally sleep like a brick. But on those rare occasions when it does happen, I often remember the words of my friend. So I quit fighting it and came downstairs.

By this time, it was about 4:35 and the sky was starting to fade from black to blue. I pondered the tranquilizing effects of a TV show or a book but instead chose to head to the backyard to watch the sun come up. As it turns out, I chose wisely.

The birds were putting on a concert. Many would have said that they were making a racket and on a different morning, I probably would have agreed. But this morning, to me, they were singing to the Lord. And although I spared my neighbors the sound of me singing out loud at that hour, I joined in with those birds in my heart.

Man, I just re-read that last sentence and it sounded really cheesy. But I’m deciding not to delete it because it’s true.

I prayed for a good hour this morning while dawn broke. It’s been way too long since I’ve done that. It reminded me that while we seem to live and die by the calendar and the clock, real life is not measured in seconds and hours – it’s measured in memories and experiences.

I won’t soon forget this morning. And I hope you won’t either, even if you slept though most of it. You have opportunities right now to make memories and have experiences which will someday be the mark of a life well lived.

So from now on, if you wake up at night – pray. If the birds are singing – join them. And remember that when you come to the end of your life, the memories and experiences you treasure most will not involve your Blackberry, your iPhone or your inbox.

Choose wisely.