Devotion: While in seminary I worked at nights, and before you start wondering “what kind of job?” I will soon explain. Needless to say, working at nights had not always been a pleasant experience, especially working 12-hour nights and being up for more than 24 hours at a time. That is never good for the body, mind, and spirit. Nevertheless, that had been my work schedule for about 5 years. I had to find employment that would work with my seminary school schedule. How I managed seminary work, work in a church, and that overnight job was beyond me. That is one of those things I consider a God thing.

In any case, I realized early on, working in the financial industry specifically a brokerage firm, that while America slept, the rest of the world was awake, from Asia to the Pacific to Europe, and that we were all connected in this global network, financial or otherwise. That meant that what happened around the world affected the U.S., and vice versa. I thought what happens to us as individuals and a people affects God.

One of the benefits of having worked from evening till dawn (7 to 7) was that I was privileged to see many sunsets, sunrises, endless clouds and skies in incredibly astonishing colors and forms. Each time I saw it, whether I was on my way to work or on my way home, I was always in awe of the beauty of creation and how fortunate we are to be given the opportunity to witness the splendor and magnificence of this world that we live in. Since moving here to Taylor, I have enjoyed the sunsets. I pondered on how amazing it is that we’re all connected to the sun and endless clouds in the skies, giving us a glimpse of God’s glory.

I am reminded of how humanity seem insignificant in the midst of vast stretches of the cosmos and time and space. I thought about how we’re all tiny specs in this big cosmos, but I am always comforted in knowing that God takes notice of us and journeys with us each and every day and watches over us whether we’re asleep or awake.