I had not planned to start my day with art, but I am so glad I did. When I pulled back the curtains covering our farmhouse windows, I saw a beautiful sunrise. As I took in God’s brushstrokes of stunning colors, a desire to paint rose up in me.

Negative thoughts came too, much like some weeds that grow up with new blooms. “If you had not snoozed for 15 minutes, you could have watched the sunrise unfold from the start. You should turn on the computer and work. You need to earn money. You do not have time to paint.”

I pressed on, ignoring the critical words. I have learned these colorful displays can pass quickly. So, I grabbed my mixed media artist’s pad, a cup of water, paintbrushes, and watercolor paints. I settled on a chair for a very special and creative quiet time with the Lord.

The sunrise in the sky kept changing as I attempted to replicate the colors on paper. At one point, I felt rushed and stressed. I thought I might miss capturing the amazing view.

A whisper in my spirit calmed my soul and redirected my eyes. “Look at what I’m doing now.” My gaze shifted from the myriad of colors to where they arose. Our gravel driveway to the northeast caught my eye.

I realized my focal point was the road and how it depicts our journey in life. I recalled how my dad first envisioned putting a cross where a nearby metal post marks our property line. I took the liberty of adding the cross to my painting to symbolize God with us on our journey. Even though we do not always know where we will go, we can trust God to lead us along the way.

God beckons us to see Him at work. He is always showing us things. Even when we cannot take in everything, we can still behold a stunning view.

What is more, God invites us to join Him in what He is doing. We can walk with Him. And we can work with Him.

We do not have to let time pressures and regrets stress us. Nor do we need to spend even more minutes feeling bad about what we did or did not do in the past. We still have this moment. God is with us, and He is still working.

Also, we do not have to fear what is to come. God will be with us in the future too. He already has a good path mapped out, and He will guide us on it.

May God’s glorious displays awaken our soul. May we open our eyes and see what He is doing in our lives right now. Let us join Him, taking each step as He directs us.