Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning,
    for in you I put my trust.
Teach me the way I should go,
    for to you I lift up my soul.

~Psalm 143:8

Grace at Dawn

Most Mondays before sunrise, my dear friend Teresa Recar and I walk a portion of the ten-mile trail around Lady Bird Lake. As the city sleeps and the first light begins to hug the water, I experience something that feels like grace.

There is a particular freedom in these early hours. Away from the expectations, responsibilities, and identities that shape my days, I can hear a quieter voice. It is walking at dawn, when no one can remind me of who I'm supposed to be, that I can remember who I truly am in this world.

The sunrise is an invitation to that opening. The redbirds begin their morning songs. The swans skull the water. The world awakens without asking anything of me. I am reminded that God's love is not something I must earn through achievement, service, or the approval of others. It is a gift, already given.

The psalmist writes, “Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning.” (Psalm 143:8). In the quiet of these morning walks, I have arrived at decisions about employment, personal relationships, and the direction of my life. Perhaps the clarity comes not because I have worked harder to find answers, but that in the stillness I have made room to listen.

And I am grateful that this path is shared with another Saint John’s member, Teresa, whose friendship is another expression of grace.

As the sun rises and the day begins, I return to the world and its many demands. But I carry with me the reminder that beneath all the roles I inhabit, I am one with nature and our creator.

May we each find moments of stillness in which to remember who we are, receive the grace that surrounds us, and meet the new day with open hearts.