Have you ever stood at the beach just after dawn and been mesmerized by what seems an endless expanse of sand?
Ever been the first one to leave footprints?
That's a perfect picture of each day you and I live.
The hours stretch before us...
Unsullied.
Untouched.
Ours to explore and enjoy.
Ours to revel in and rejoice in and give thanks for.
Here's a simple way to get your day off to a better start. Right away, as soon as you wake up, get your mind in gear by speaking this simple-but-profound verse aloud:
This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 ESV
Sometimes the dawn feels like a rescue
How many times have you sat up with a sick family member longed for morning?
How often have you said to someone, "It will be a better day tomorrow. Just wait for morning."
Somehow everything looks brighter, fresher, more hopeful in the light of a new day, doesn't it?
We realize again the truth of Psalm 30:5b:
Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. KJV
Whatever is going on--or not going on--how shall we live?
With the fresh vision of morning let's take a reading of our life. Situations and relationships that looked one way yesterday may appear different in the new day.
Vow to fix your thoughts on joy, not gloom.
Dwelling on what's wrong in our world and with other people is like hanging heavy weights around our necks. Venting our frustrations to others in person or over social media only adds to the load we drag around.
So what are we supposed to do with our emotions?
In good times or hard times, we can't do better than to follow the timeless wisdom of a Christian poet and preacher, Joseph Scriven. In 1885 he wrote a poem that became the lyrics to one of the best-known hymns of Christianity, "What a Friend we have in Jesus."
Here's verse two--and doesn't it fit our troubled times?
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged,
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness,
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
That hymn verse echoes Jesus' words in Matthew 11:28:
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. NIV
We're never alone and never on our own
There's a way to be calm and joyful in the midst of whatever comes. We remind ourselves who we are and Whose we are. We lock those truths in our minds and in our hearts by reading and studying the Bible.
Some folks think the Bible is outdated. Old-fashioned. They say our society is "more advanced" and we're more enlightened, so we've "moved beyond simplistic thinking."
Here's what Jesus said in Matthew 25:35:
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. NIV
Turn away from know-it-all newscasters and turn to God's Word
Reading the Bible and prayer help us understand deep-down in our bones that Jesus is for real and that He loves us.
Loved us enough to willingly give up His life to pay for our sins so that all who believe already possess eternal life.
This is not something we must qualify for or earn by our good deeds. Rather, this is God's gift.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. NIV
What better way to greet each new day than with the Lord?
He's the only one who knows what's ahead of us and who can strengthen us for each challenge.
Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Psalm 143:8 ESV
If we want to change our outlook we need to change what we feed our hearts and minds. Bible verses like that can be heart-lifters for every day IF we let them.
I'm praying for you, my friends. May you greet each new day with JOY, the joy of Jesus!
Blessings,
Lenore