You know it was more than 30 years ago that I saw something I have never forgotten. I’d signed on to cowboy for an outfit that was running cattle out on the Arco Desert in Idaho. Our job was to round those cattle up and bring them into the home ranch for the winter.

I remember that that first morning we busted out of camp somewhere around 3:00 in the morning. We had a long day ahead of us, and we needed an early start. After eating a meager breakfast if we ate anything at all, we saddled up in the dark and rode out in different directions.

There was a brisk autumn chill in the air. The sky was clear, and the stars were brilliant. I was all alone in the dark in strange country on horseback. I rode out some distance when I saw a hill. And thinking that that would be a high enough ground from which to spot cows when there was enough light, I made for it. Once on top, I reined up, and I looked around. As I turned in my saddle toward the east, I saw it. The first faintest light of the coming dawn backlit the Teton Mountain Range.

I sat there, and I stared in awe at those jagged peaks of the three Tetons, jutting up like sentinels over a vast desert domain. They seemed so vivid and so close, yet they must have been nearly a hundred miles away.

Almost imperceptibly the light continued to grow, and the shadows around me diminished until that moment when the sun rose over the mountains, and its first rays spilled out over the land from horizon to horizon. Not only could I finally see, but that light warmed my chilled bones.

Now, that was more than just beautiful scenery. It was – it was inspiring; it changed me. From that day forward, I loved sunrises. I always have.

The ancient writer said, “Joy cometh in the morning.” (Psalms 30:5)

Well, to that I echo a modern, “Amen.”

Now since that day thousands of sunrises have come and gone for me. I’ve not seen them all, but I’ve experienced many, and have found more joy and inspiration in those early morning hours than at any other time of the day.

On a recent dark night, I was deeply troubled, and I couldn’t sleep. I got out of bed and I found a quiet place alone to pray. I was there a long time struggling in the spirit to connect with my Father in Heaven. My soul felt as cold and dark as the February night around me. Then suddenly, a light burst forth in my soul, small and imperceptible at first, but growing as I turned toward it. I noticed that my thoughts became clear and sure; my soul, calm and at peace. I could see what was wrong, and I knew how to fix it.

Strangely, joy, love, and inspiration seemed to accompany that light. Indeed, the sun had risen in my soul.