First of Five

6:04 a.m.
It's a little chilly in my room, so the thought of pulling on some sweats and a hoodie actually sounds pretty good. The sun's not up yet, but it will be soon... ok, NOW THE RACE IS ON.

Out of bed, grab the tooth brush, hair brush, face...cloth...
Sweats, shoes, hoodie, wallet, iPod, phone, keys... out the door...
"Yes! No sun!" I smile to myself (as strange as that might sound). See, I have this goal sometimes--to be on the treadmill at the gym while the sun is coming up. If you get the right machine (the one in front of the big tree just outside the window) it's the perfect picture of God shedding morning light onto something that had been starved for it all night. It's like watching new mercy come at dawn. I love new mercy at dawn...

So, this particular dawn... is the first of five.
The first of five days off from school--the first of five mornings that I would like to catch a glimpse of that mercy picture. Maybe not specifically the gym-tree one. Maybe not specifically the rising sun of every early morning. It's more along the lines of...intentionality ...intentionally recognizing that, truly, God's mercy is new every morning.

It's 8:05 now. About two hours since that first glimpse has taken place. And I'm already realizing, "I am SO GLAD His mercy is new every morning," because it helps me know the freedom that Christ gave us a little better. He sets me free every morning--He says, "Go in peace. Sin no more." And I have the chance to grow and change.

How awful it would be to have to stay chained to yesterday's self! I might not stay free every time He breaks those chains for me, but every morning, I know He smiles on that tree just outside the gym window, and every morning, I know He smiles on me.

Maybe today will be the first of five that I smile back...

...maybe it will be the first of five thousand.