You know that I have always liked sunrises and sunsets. To me, each is a very special time of day. To most people, a sunset is almost always a beautiful thing but to a farmer, a sunset is even more special. That’s because the farmer has been up and going since dawn and in the case of farmers with livestock, well, they’ve been up since way before dawn.

After putting in a long hard day, and it can be especially long and hard if you’ve had breakdowns or other things that have kept you from getting done what needed to be done, a sunset can be just the thing to bring peace and relaxation at the end of the day.

It’s the idea that no matter how good or bad the day has been, that now with this sunset, you know that this chapter or history (the day) is closed. You can’t go back and repeat it, you just go on to the next day and whatever it will bring. And at sunrise the next day, it is the dawning of a new day of history. No one has ever lived this day before. It is a chance to start over. It is a chance to forget yesterday and have today be the kind of day that goes right. The kind of day that has everything falling into place and working out the way it’s supposed to. And, it’s also a chance to remember the good and important things of yesterday or yesterday’s yesterday and apply that knowledge and wisdom to the things of today.

Life is kind of like the sunrise and the sunset. When you are born it is like the sunrise. Everything is new and excititing and as you begin to grow up, you see the world (or day) as something that holds all kinds of possibilities for you. Anything is possible if you just work at it.

The early part of the day is like childhood. We may have problems or setbacks or we may even have a tendancy to play hooky and go fishing for awhile because, after all, there’s always all afternoon and evening to still get our work done.

Lunch, like graduation from high school, comes and goes and we begin our afternoon work. (getting a job, post-secondary education or specific training, military, etc.) Sometimes it goes smoothly, sometimes there’s breakdowns or complications that hold us back and sometimes, we’re still taking the day off to go fishing.

Now, fishing is good, don’t misunderstand me. It certainly has it’s place as a point of relaxation. In fact, in our day of work there are different times that we set back and take a little break to rest and reflect and then we go back to our work.

For most people, suppertime (dinner) means their day of work is done and they can relax and enjoy the evening by trimming the lawn, going for a drive, golfing, watching television, or whatever. Of course, for a farmer, most of time it means taking a break to eat and then going back to work to try to finish what was started so much earlier.

In life, suppertime is like retirement. Your day’s or life’s work is done and now you can relax and enjoy the time you have left until sunset comes. It’s a time to enjoy the “fruits of your labor.”

When sunset comes for most people, the loss of light signals the ending of the day. (unless you are a farmer and it’s harvest season, which means the lights come on and you work as long as you can) For most of us the sunset is a peaceful time where we have a few moments, watching the sun disappear into the horizon and knowing that for better or worse this day is done and from a historical perspective, the day is part of history and can never be repeated again.

In life, sunset is also a time to be reflective about our lives and our values. What are the things that are really valuable and important to us? Is the big new home or shiny new car really more valuable than a healthy child? Are we really better off if we amass a fortune of money? Or, can we be happy taking care of others and helping to make their lives more enjoyable? Is a high-powered CEO, making huge amounts of money and wielding power over people’s live more important than a teacher of children?

Is a doctor more valuable than a nurse? Who actually spends more time giving care to the patient? Is the surgeon more valuable than the anestheologist? Or, is the person who uses the tools more important than the person who designed the tools to make the job easier or better? Or, how about the person with the talent to make the tools after they have been designed?

And, let’s not forget the farmers. Who would ever have the time to do anything else if the farmers didn’t produce the abundance of food that they do with such efficiency? If it weren’t for them, most people would spend their time gathering the food they needed to eat each day.

In this world, we are all important in our own way if we use whatever talent God has given us to do His will and to help our fellow man. That is why we are here. If you have the talent and expertise to be a leader, then lead but lead in such a way that God would be proud of you and in a way that, if you were a follower, you would be able to follow. Maybe some of our local, state and national leaders should practice this. The bottom line is that you need to USE the talent you have because it is a gift and we can not get along in this world if we don’t share our gifts of talent. Much as some would like to think, not one of us can make it in this world totally on our own, we all depend on others.

I know that most of us have times when we reflect on our lives and think we don’t matter too much. We see high-profile people getting the “glory.” But, each of us is a leader. We lead others by the example we set each day. And that kind of leadership is just as important in the world as any other kind. In fact, to God, it is even more important.

What I’m trying to tell you is that sunrises are beautiful things, full of hope for the future of the day. And, sunsets, though they are the end of the present day are also beautiful and a joy to behold. And, even though nighttime follows sunset, it only lasts a little while and then sunrise is here again and the eternal hope begins again.

Life is like that. After the sunset years, there is a short time of darkness…….but, the sun (Son) will shine again and all the hopes of a new day and life will begin again in a day of sunshine that will never end.