Wednesday, January 03, 2007

when the joy comes

This weekend I heard someone make a comment that "mornings must be part of the Curse." This person went on to complain about not being a "morning person" and how annoying "morning people" are.

The commentator was a speaker at a Christian conference.

The comment bothered me at the time, because I immediately thought of some Biblical characteristics of morning as
- the time when the new mercies come
- the time when joy comes after a night of weeping
- a special time to praise God
- the time when the sun comes out like a bridegroom out of his chamber, or like a strong man to run his race

In short, morning is, Biblically speaking, a very good time. (It's night that's all the trouble.)

Then, yesterday on my way to the courthouse, I happened upon a particularly breathtaking morning (which reminded me of another lovely morning I was accidentally able to enjoy last month when I absentmindedly left my fuzzy slippers in Room 101 at church and had to hurry down there early Monday morning and get them before someone found them and put them in lost and found -- because who wants to go admitting ownership to dirty old slippers in lost and found???).

The air was crisp, the clouds were a rainbow of colors, the wind had taken away the smog so that you could see green palm trees against purple mountains, and there wasn't really any traffic yet.

It was a gift.

So, I dunno. I can't help but think that all the morning-haters out there have some things to learn. I'd really rather go on singing with the psalmist, and, while I'm at it, with Farmer Hoggett (whose song*** is, I think, the biggest reason that I keep watching "Babe"):

If I had words
To make a day for you,
I'd sing you a morning
Golden and true . . .

***random trivia: Did anyone know the music for the Hoggett song is from Saint-Saens's organ symphony?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

If the Jewish day begins at sunset, what implication does that have for the psalmist's descriptions of morning? It's not about beginnings so much any more, or that time of initial preparation, but I guess it should still be the most important part of the day.

You're right about mornings, and especially about that song, but don't underestimate the value of a late evening (even a late night of weeping...)

Are fuzzy slippers for morning or evening?