Joy in the Morning

September 5, 2009
Weeping may spend the night, but joy comes in the morning. Ps 30:6

There were tears shed by the man who immediately shut off the TV and asked for prayer when I came into the room. He felt he needed to be right with God at this tender time, this night.

There were tears shed by the woman who didn't want to be a burden to her children and sought a "DNR" (do not resuscitate) order, this night, prior to her simple lung procedure the next day.

There were tears shed by the mother of a trauma patient whose emergency admission to the chest pain center was dire and drastic. Not another loss! Not another of my children suffering! Not this night!

There were tears shed by the patient in the emergency center whose mid-street fight over whose "it" was meant certain scarring on her face.

All this night.

At some point, I knew it was the last page. I put my head on the pillow and fell like a brick in water to the depths of sleep.

The next day, after a mid-day nap, I joyfully roamed the other world of normalcy: the apple festival of tacky crafts, sweet-smelling waffle cones, live bluegrass music and hot sun. And at that point, I knew that joy did come in the morning! All in 24 hours - some sense of harmony in the world.

How did you find joy in this morning, despite the weeping at night?