Beginning

Sunrise. The promise of a new day, a new beginning.

Our human nature, whether we are aware of it or not, yearns for newness. We celebrate and welcome it in life over and over again - the birth of a new life, a new job, a new friend, a new hobby, a new favorite recipe. Newness invigorates us, gives us hope, and keeps us going amidst the ordinary of life.

Newness doesn’t always come to us wrapped in joy and hopefulness though. It sometimes comes in a time that can only be described as a crucible of sorts - "a situation of severe trial, or in which different elements interact, leading to the creation of something new." (Google, Oxford Languages) Without warning, it knocks us off our carefully constructed reality and forces us into change and new territory. Our nature recoils from it, wanting what is familiar and within our control.

The past year has brought plenty of newness, much of it way out of our comfort zones. That newness required us to change and adapt to what was being thrust upon us. It required us to make tough choices and to ascertain what we were willing to let go of and what we felt worthy of clinging to. For those of us brave enough to look, it gave us time to gaze into the mirror and reflect, perhaps for the first time in a long time, on who the person looking back really was.

The gal looking back in my mirror has a newness about her that bears the marks of a crucible. She knows it’s not really over, and won’t be this side of life, but for the first time, she’s ok with it. Because today, she is beginning.

Today
I am beginning.

The sunrise
of my heart,
of my mind,
of my soul,
Illuminating what awaits me.

O newness I desire ~ welcome!
I rejoice and delight in you!
O newness in the shadows ~ come out
and let me see you in the light!
O newness over the horizon ~ fear not
for I will not reject or hide from you!

This moment
And the next
And the next

I am beginning.

Contemplation:

What areas of newness have I seen in myself and my life lately?
Am I in a time that is a “crucible?” If so, how can I embrace the newness?
If I looked into the mirror today, what newness would I see?

Today, I will let the sunrise of my heart, mind, and soul illuminate ____________.
Today, I choose to begin _______________________________.