Joy comes in the morning..

The question is : How did you receive your name and what does it mean.

On the day I was born, my father went to call his mom on the hospitals payphone, ” mom it’s a girl!” the conversation was “a girl?! well what are you going to call her, you were going to name a boy after you son..?” he realized immediately that I was going to be called Dawn – because I was born at sunrise. He later told me it was fitting because it was a turning point in his life.

The name dawn represents the certainty of God’s mercy and faithfulness, often highlighting God’s rescue or the arrival of His light.

Psalms 30:5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.

The term is frequently associated with the resurrection of Jesus and the dawn of a new, redemptive era. 

This was how my dad viewed this time in his life. Previous to my birth he was caught up in Vietnam right out of high school after serving in the Navy he came home to numb his mind and live his life how he wanted, he bought a motorcycle, grew out his hair and frequented bars where he eventually would meet my mom. A little while later there’s a picture of my mom wearing a lavender dress holding the hand of my older sister and about 9 months along with me.

Here’s the thing all of us have a backstory and even if our parents didn’t plan it, God did. 

Why do I say this?  Because the Word of God says so. He is the life giver. This is why we should never feel like we are not wanted.

The Lord doesn’t make mistakes. He gives life and He knows each life intimately.  In Psalms 139 it says God knows everything about us even before we were formed. In other parts of the Bible records that those He chose and set apart He ordained for those jobs.

So looking back at the time it would seem I was an unplanned accident and those in their circle would agree this was the case,  but not God. 

Regardless of my beginnings my Heavenly Father had plans for me and gave my life purpose. I know my name is a calling.

Isaiah 60:1: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you”.

Lamentations 3:22-23: Mentions new mercies every morning even in trying times.

But here’s another reason I believe this, one morning I was awaken to the words:

“You are called, you are set apart and you are chosen.” 

I heard it so clearly that I knew it was the Lord letting me know He had a purpose for my life.  Never have I ever felt so sure of anything.  I begin searching the Word to understand what this would look like and here’s what I found:

It looks like surrendering your life, to walk with Him.

It looks like renewal, the leaving the past in the past.

It looks like being a vessel for the Lord to use whenever and wherever. Like a build board on the highway.

And it means having purpose and looking forward to the Kingdom of God.

So here a question for you, what do you think your purpose is?

If you have not accepted the invitation to learn from Christ the Lord, there’s no better way because His favor is forever and His joy truly does come in the morning.

In Christ love, Amen