A Quote From the Past

   Way back when, when my dad used to get me up to go work early in the morning, while it was still dark outside,  and I was all settled in my warm bed, especially on cold mornings, he used to tell me that I was about to miss the best part of the day. Of course, since he opened his business at 5AM, this "best part" was while there was no light at all in the eastern sky, the hour or hours before sunrise.

   I confess that I did not share his enthusiasm for this time, and maybe he didn't either all the time, but now times have changed. He had to be there. There would be trucks of produce waiting to be unloaded and customer's trucks waiting to get the product so they could service their accounts for that day.

   There is no such urgency for me these days. I don't really have to be anywhere most days, and there will be no irate customers on the phone if I sleep in. But I find that I like this early time. It is quiet, and most days when I get out, there is no sound except the birds. Even if I cannot see clearly, my mind seems to think that way. Not that I get so many great revelations in that time, but I seem open to listening and hearing.

   A verse this morning: "Walk by faith, not by sight." 2 Cor. 5:7

   What does it mean to walk by faith. This morning, walking early in the fog, it is easy to see an example of this, and the devotional puts it this way:

By Faith - responding in a way that maximizes God's ability to intervene - hope-filled living!

   This is not a "I hope so" kind of hope. Rather it is the kind of hope that knows God is in control and that He has a plan for this time and this day.

   My job: To walk and to listen. Walk the part of the path that I can see and listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

   And maybe to realize that my dad was right.

   This is the best part of the day.