The Beauty in Unfulfilled Expectations

The Beauty in Unfulfilled Expectations

This post originally appeared at Exploring Sainthood in April of 2016.  


Minnesota sunrises can inspire awe, especially on days that are destined to be cloudy and gray. The sun on the clouds can be breath-taking. Needing a good dose of awe and wonder, one morning I decided to take a break from my work to watch the birth of a new day.
But this sunrise was different. I’ve watched hundreds or maybe even thousands of sunrises, but I had never seen this before. Or maybe I had, but I had dismissed the beauty of the moment because it didn’t fit my expectations of what a sunrise should be. I waited for the hints of  orange and pink on the horizon, but they never came. It was so cloudy that even the sun couldn’t break through to paint its dazzling picture.  It seemed as if nothing could penetrate the dark cover of clouds. But still…little by little…it got lighter outside.
Sometimes we want to see beauty. We’re desperate for spectacular colors. Instead, we just see the light creep in little by little. Not bright light. Not clear or even partially obscured light. But light seeming to come from nowhere. Light that just is.

Light, like Love, is there whether or not we can see the source.

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