Light of the World


Is it worth getting up at 3:30 AM and driving 3 hours in the dark to photograph a scene like this? You betcha it is!

On this particular Friday morning we arose from a good night's sleep and packed our bags in the car to catch sunrise from the Oconaluftee Valley Overlook in the Great Smoky Mountains. Sharon and I arrived about five minutes AFTER sunrise so we missed a lot of the changes that occur for 30 minutes preceding the earth's awakening, but I was not disappointed in the least to witness the sun's rays streaming across the mountaintops and filling the hazy valley with vivid color.

It's so easy for me to contemplate God's presence at a moment like this. Jesus said, "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." ~John 12:46

The darkness of night that accompanied me for three hours was no match for the overwhelming power and intensity of light that shown over the mountain range. The evil and dark forces of this world have no dominion over me either because of the overwhelming power and intensity of light that lives in me -- Jesus Christ.

John reminds God's children that "the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." ~1 John 4:4

I am thankful for the reminder each morning of His continued presence in me and with me... and I am thankful for the opportunity to have witnessed this powerful event called sunrise in the Smokies.

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