The Sunrise

Being a teenager is tough.

Over the last couple of months my husband and I have been reminded of all of the pressures that bombard teenagers as we have watched our oldest daughter struggle through some rough times. 

This past week she simply could not face the pressure.  And we had to face the fact that we could not take care of the problems without help.  Immediately doors were opened for a referral, an assessment, and therapy one day after another.  After two months of trying to get in to see someone who could help along with lots of prayer from us and many others, this sudden progress seemed miraculous.

It had been a long week on Friday as we drove an hour away for her final appointment of the week.  No, scratch that.  It had been a long couple of months.  Usually when I drive her somewhere I play her favorite band, McFly, on my iPod.  However, on this morning I chose Bruce Springsteen.  He sang to us as we quietly enjoyed the drive and the music.

As we headed east, the light from the sun started to filter into the sky.  Living in “fly over” country, there were several plane trails streaking in different directions like long, thin white clouds in the sky over a flat landscape that stretched on for miles and miles. 

The first flash of sunlight was brilliant.  As we continued to move eastward and the time continue to tick by, the sun rose a little further.  “Isn’t it beautiful?!”  Honestly, it nearly took my breath away. 

We both watched in awe as a bright orange-yellow globe rose until it was halfway up, peeking at us over the horizon.  “I’ve got to pull over and take a picture!”

A little further in front of us, a dirt road stretched from north to south.  I put on my left blinker and waited on a car to go past before turning off the highway onto the road.  As I was doing so, I was thinking, Why didn’t I just turn right?  I would not have had to wait on traffic and the sun would’ve been right outside my own window.  Tana also noticed and verbalized this thought, “Why didn’t you just pull off to the right?”  I laughed.  “I don’t know!”

We rolled down the window and I snapped a couple of pictures while leaning over my daughter.  Then I turned us around and pulled back out on the highway to head to our destination.

Once we arrived, the doctor called Tana back and I decided to take a look at my new photos.  When I opened the picture, I was awestruck.  That was NOT there when I took this picture!  I waited for Tana to return to me feeling much more peaceful than I had when we walked in the door.

A while later as we prepared to leave, I handed her my phone.  “Look at the picture, Tana, and tell me what you see that wasn’t there when this picture was taken.”

“There’s a cross!” she exclaimed.  “Yes,” I answered.  As a smile lit up her face, I thought God wants us to know that He is here.  He’s with us.  He cares.  And we will get through this with His help.

It’s a sign.  Not just figuratively, but literally.  When I blew it up larger I could tell that it was a road sign that was turned at just the right angle that it looked like a cross in the shadow of the picture.

If I had turned onto a different road, no cross.

If I had turned right, no cross.

If the time of day had been a little earlier or later, no cross.

If the sign had been turned at a little different angle, no cross.

What a strange place for that type of sign.  Have people wondered for years why that sign was on that road out in the middle of nowhere?  Was it put there all those years ago just for this one day…just for this one picture?

I believe in the providence of God.  Everything is going to be okay.