“Bright morning stars are rising / Bright morning stars are rising / Bright morning stars are rising / Day is a’ breaking / In my soul.”- traditional Appalachian spiritual
“And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention to as a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”- 2 Peter 1:9 (ESV)
The Wisconsin Central Railway spared no expense to build the impressive Waupaca Train Depot in 1907, after the old wooden passenger station burned to the ground. Most significantly, the 27′ by 70′ depot incorporated sandstone walls and a Spanish tile roof. Inside, the building boasts three fireplaces, one in each waiting room. Thus, the depot assumed an important world in Waupaca’s tourist trade and potato shipping.
Passenger service ended January 15, 1965, and by 1987 the depot stood empty. As a result, it gradually deteriorated. Vandals spray-painted graffiti inside and out. Also, the roof sported leaks and there was a hole in the waiting room floor.
Enter Mike Kirk. For more than two decades after the Waupaca Historical Society acquired the property in 2004, Mike lovingly restored the depot to its former glory. Mike used whatever resources he could find to preserve the depot’s history. And as a boy, Mike kept a scrapbook of train pictures as well as a news clipping about the depot’s closing. Above all, Mike’s vision created a historical rarity and a community landmark. Like bright morning stars rising.
In his latest book, Every Thought Captive, Kyle Idleman cites the first line from the book The Road Less Traveled. The first line reads: Life is difficult. Apparently, that line resonates with people because . . . life is difficult. On a daily basis, we face many challenges and a torrent of negativity. Hence, it would be easy to drown in that torrent. Yet, we desire to live in joy.
However, that is not just what we want. For that desire reflects God’s will for our lives. As the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV):
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Certainly, Pastor Idleman affirms, we want to rejoice always. For if we fail to do so, we miss out on the abundant life God has for us. So, Kyle ponders, how do we live with joy in a world that pounds us with wave after wave of difficulties?
It starts, the author underscores, by winning the morning. Suppose, though, that your morning never starts at the crack of dawn. Your morning still functions as the most important part of your day. Perhaps, Kyle quips, you may not even be awake enough to believe in God until after lunch. But the fact remains — your morning sets the tone for the rest of your day.
So, Pastor Idleman encourages, in the morning make reading the Bible and prayer a priority. Because, in the process, you prime your brain with God-thoughts. Of course, throughout the day we encounter challenges. But it will be so much easier to think God-thoughts. Again, our morning sets the tone for our day. In turn, our days become our life.
In conclusion, Kyle counsels with these words of hope, for bright morning stars are rising:
“I’ll ask again, ‘What do you say to yourself?”. . . What you say to yourself — especially about God — has a way of determining your attitude and behavior, of shaping your relationships and future. Jeremiah [see Lamentations 3:21-23] comes into your room before the sun comes up or your alarm clock goes off. He wakes you up in the early morning to teach you to take your thoughts captive and talk to yourself about God’s mercies that are new every morning.”