It is early this morning.
The kind of early where the world is still quiet… but you can tell it is waking up.
I am sitting here in a tent with my daughter. The rain came through last night, tapping on the fabric above us for a while before everything settled back into silence. Now the storm has passed and the air feels clean, cool, and fresh.
The tent is getting brighter by the minute as the sun slowly rises. The birds have already started their morning songs. You can hear them in every direction… like nature’s alarm clock, reminding the world that a new day has begun.
Around us, our core team is camping too. These are the people who care about us the most… my peeps, my team, my friends, MY FAMILY! Fourteen people parked nearby, still sleeping inside. But Jaelyn and I chose the tent this trip. There is something simple and honest about it… just a thin layer of fabric between you and the outdoors.
No walls.
No distractions.
Just the sound of birds, the smell of damp earth after rain, and the quiet of a new morning.
Moments like this remind me how often God meets us in the simple places.
Not in the rush.
Not in the noise.
But in the stillness.
Rain has a way of resetting things. It washes the dust away. It softens the ground. And when the sun rises after a storm, everything feels a little cleaner than it did the day before.
Life works that way too.
We all walk through storms. Nights where the rain falls and we wonder how long it will last. But morning always comes. Light always returns. And somehow God uses even the storms to refresh the ground beneath our feet.
Right now the tent is glowing with that soft morning light. Jaelyn is still sleeping beside me, peaceful and warm under her weighted blanket, completely unaware that I am sitting here listening to birds and thanking God for this moment.
And honestly… I would not trade this morning for anything.
Bible Promise
Lamentations 3:22–23 (NASB)
The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
Reflection Question
- When was the last time you slowed down enough to notice the quiet ways God refreshes your soul?
- What storms in your life might God be using to prepare the ground for something new?
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for mornings like this. Thank You for the quiet reminders of Your presence… the rain that refreshes the earth, the light that returns after the night, and the peace that comes when we slow down enough to notice You.
Help us trust You through every storm and remember that Your mercy is new every morning. Let our hearts wake up to Your goodness the same way the earth wakes up after the rain.
I give You all honor, all the glory, and all of the praise. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen & Amen.
I think the last time for me has actually been pretty recent during the season of my job loss.
In that time, I was able to slow down in a way I hadn’t in a long time. I spent hours in His presence if I wanted to reading my Bible, praying, looking for a job, but also learning how to truly rest. Not just physically, but spiritually. Resting in a peace that really does surpass all understanding.
I found myself reflecting on all the ways God has come through for me before… reminding myself that He truly does work all things together for good for those who love Him.
It felt almost like seeing the world for the first time again.
I remember when I was pregnant with Austin I had a moment that’s always stayed with me. I was working at a portrait studio inside Walmart, and I walked out to the parking lot to grab lunch. Everything around me was busy and loud, but I remember stopping and noticing a bird.
I had seen birds my whole life… but in that moment, I saw it differently. I wondered what it would be like for my baby to see that same bird for the very first time.
And somehow, everything slowed down.
It was quiet. It was still. It was peaceful right there in the middle of a crowded, chaotic parking lot.
That’s what this season with God felt like.
Even in the worry… even in the uncertainty… my faith remained strong. Because He was calling me into something deeper not just to figure things out, but to rest.
To be still.
To trust.
To remember who He is.
And I truly believe now that the same storm I’ve been walking through wasn’t just something to endure… it was preparation for promotion.
It has been a season of flourishing in ways I didn’t expect an elevation, a stretching, a deeper rooting in His kingdom. It hasn’t been easy, not at all… but just like the rain, you described the storm was necessary.
Because there is always light after it.
And in that stillness, I was able to see again… not just my circumstances, but His presence in the middle of them.
He was reminding me that He is faithful…
and that I can rest in the assurance that only He gives.