God Meets Me Before Sunrise
If you know me, you know I'm kind of a morning person. Not because I don't enjoy the morning—I actually love it.
It's because my mind wakes up long before the rest of me does. Some mornings it feels like my brain starts at seventy miles an hour. Before I've even finished my first cup of coffee, I've already thought about work, my family, photography, the farm, tomorrow's schedule, and the dozen things I haven't accomplished yet.
For a long time, I thought that was just who I was. Then God slowly began teaching me something different.
A few years ago, I found myself in a season of change. After spending years working as a lab technician in chemistry and hematology, I stepped away from shift work. It was a decision I knew was right, but it also left me wondering what came next.
Photography was growing, but it didn't fit the schedule of a traditional job. Most of my work happens on evenings and weekends, so I found myself with unexpected space during the week—and honestly, I felt a little lost. Instead of looking for another job, I decided to volunteer on the photography team at Oak Ridge Church.
Looking back, I can see that God knew exactly what I needed. I thought I was simply offering my time and my camera. What I didn't realize was that God was using that season to change my heart. Every Sunday, I'd meet people with incredible stories. I'd capture moments of worship, baptisms, children laughing in the hallways, volunteers serving behind the scenes, and families simply doing life together. Week after week, I wasn't just documenting what God was doing—I was witnessing it.
Without even realizing it, I started changing too. I became more patient. More grateful. More intentional with my words. I wanted my life to reflect the kindness I saw in so many people around me. Serving wasn't just making me a better photographer; it was helping me become a better person.
Those Sunday mornings eventually began shaping my Monday mornings. These days, one of my favorite ways to spend time with God isn't inside a building at all. It's outside. The farm waking up around me. I call them my wellness walks, but they aren't really about exercise. They're about making space. Space to breathe. Space to pray. Space to notice the beauty that God has placed all around me.
When the sun begins to rise over the pasture, the world feels different. The same fields I've seen a thousand times somehow become new again. Birds begin to sing. The cows stir in the distance. The morning light stretches across the grass, and for a few precious moments, everything slows down.
Including me. The worries don't always disappear. The to-do list is still waiting. The responsibilities haven't gone anywhere. But I've learned that peace isn't found when life gets quieter. It's found when I choose to quiet myself before God. Those early mornings remind me that God is never in a hurry.
While my mind races ahead, He's already there, patiently waiting for me to slow down enough to notice Him. I don't have all the answers for anxiety, and some mornings are still harder than others. But I've learned that meeting God before the rest of the world demands my attention changes the way I walk through the day. Sometimes the greatest gift isn't having a perfectly peaceful morning. Sometimes it's simply remembering that you don't have to face it alone.
And if you happen to find that peace while walking through a field at sunrise with a cup of coffee and a faithful little dog by your side, well... I think that's a pretty wonderful place to meet God.
