I just wrapped up spring break vacation with my family. It's so refreshing and good for my soul to be at the beach. One of the best things about living in the Piedmont of NC is that the mountains and the beaches are about 3-4 hours away in opposite directions. If there's a perfect state to experience the beauty of God's creation in all its glory, I'd have to say it's North Carolina.

I don't usually sleep well when we travel. My schedule gets all off kilter and my body sort of goes haywire. Early this morning, around 5 am, I got up to tinkle, and knew there was little chance of going back to sleep. I stepped out onto the balcony of our condo, overlooking the ocean, and thought- I'm up, I'll just watch the sunrise this morning. I'm always awake before the sun comes up, and am so busy, I always miss the beautiful sunrise. Today, I sat outside in the darkness, and I waited, watching as God painted the sky with vibrant color. It was beautiful... something so simple, so predictable, and yet so often completely taken for granted.

Have you watched a sunrise lately? 

Here are 5 reasons you might just want to catch the next one.

Each one is unique!

No two sunrises are quite the same. You never know just what the sky will look like when the sun comes up from day to day. Bring your camera along and snap some photos to make comparisons.

The colors are breathtaking.

Color, color everywhere! Sometimes the sky looks like swirled sherbet or cotton candy. Other mornings, the sky might look like it was set ablaze. You never know what you might see when you wake up with the sun.

You'll set the tone for a great day.

There's something about watching a beautiful sunrise that just puts you in a cheery, hopeful, amazing mood for the rest of the day. It's sort of like God giving you a special show, saying, 'Hey, I made this for you!' How could you be in a rotten mood after seeing something so amazing?

You can see it every day.

While it might not be possible to catch the sunrise every morning, it'll be there waiting for you to do just that.

It'll give you a deeper appreciation for the earth.

The older I get, the more I just appreciate nature for what it is. Take the time to stop and look at the world around you. We've built it up so much that it can often seem cluttered, but nature shows its true colors all around us- we just have to stop and look to be able to experience and appreciate it.

Not a morning person? Good news- the sun sets every evening!

Sunsets are just as beautiful as sunrises- so if you like to stay up, rather than rise early, there's beauty for you to experience in the skies, too!

Will you catch the sunrise tomorrow?