What About...? What if....?

Have you heard the phrase: "In these uncertain times..."?  Let me ask this: Have we ever lived in CERTAIN TIMES?  You see, during "these uncertain times" so many focus their attention, anxieties, and efforts on tomorrow.  Yet tomorrow is not guaranteed, is it?  

 

We can NOT live in yesterday because it's already done.  

 

We can NOT live in tomorrow because it's not here yet.

 

We can ONLY live in today because that's where God has put us!  Celebrate today!

Good Morning

Today is one of those days. No, not one of "those" days. It is one of THOSE days. One of those days where I am excited to be alive. One of those days that I got up with the alarm instead of 4 hours ahead of the alarm.

 Believe it or not, this is a brand new day...never been lived in before and will never be lived in again. Yesterday is history, today is being written. Today I am as young as I will ever be again. Today, is NEW!

Are you ready for it? Are you ready to see what God has in store for you?


"Look at the new thing I am going to do.
It is already happening. Don’t you see it?
I will make a road in the desert
and rivers in the dry land." - Isaiah 43:19

Celebrate?

This is the day the Lord has brought about.
We will be happy and rejoice in it.

Psalm 118:24 

 

I admit it, I am not exactly a morning person.  I am not one who normally (or abnormally) jumps out of bed in the morning ready to embrace the day.  I have a process.  First, slowly ease out of bed one leg at a time. Groan, stretch, listen to the popping of my bones like bubble wrap. Yawn, scratch, and stumble toward the coffee maker.  After coffee is acquired, sit on the sofa and scratch Woody's tummy until I am sufficiently caffeinated to head to the shower.  I may be sluggish on the start, but I am still grateful for the opportunity to wake up and have another day.

 

Now, what do you think would happen if we embraced each day as a gift?  Let me put this a different way: If you only have today to live...what would you do?  How would you treat people?  How would you make the most of your day? How would you show God that you are grateful for today?

 

More times than not, we are so engrossed in our own routines that we don't even take time to look at the gift of the world around us that God has openly shared with us.  We get so wrapped up in our own lives that we forget how fragile our lives really are.  We get so inundated with tasks, reports, requirements, and expectations that we seem to have no time to be happy or share our happy with anyone else.  Why do we do that?

 

Here's a hard question for you: When you stand before God's throne, will our routines, meetings, expectations really matter?  When God asks you "I gave you today, what did you do with that gift"? How will you answer? Isn't it time to look up and around and embrace today for the gift that it is?

How Will You Start Your Day?

This is the day the Lord has made.
    We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24 

 

I will confess, I am not the brightest bulb in the lamp and first thing in the morning my bulb takes a long time to even glow.  But this changed several days ago.  Ever so often, I get a craving to add a packet of hot chocolate mix to at cup of coffee (don't ask).  On this particular morning, I blindly grabbed a packet, poured it into my coffee, and went to the sofa to share the morning with Woody.  It was upon my first sip of this concoction that I realized that the packet I had poured blindly into my coffee was actually Taco Seasoning.  That's when I got the feeling that it was going to be one of "those" days.

 

How did you start your day?  If you're like me, you cringed when the alarm went off and then stumbled sleepily to the coffee maker, then toddle of the the bathroom to begin the ritual cleaning.  I am NOT a morning person!  But I'm learning.  Over the past year, I tend to get up before the alarm, get coffee and sit on the couch to scratch Woody's tummy while I have quiet time.

 

It was during this quiet time that today's verse slapped me in the face.  Let's contemplate this for a minute.   Notice which day is mentioned as being the day God has made.  TODAY!  Yesterday has gone, it's already in the books, can't be changed!  But God has given us TODAY!  Tomorrow is not here yet, nor is it promised, but TODAY is the day God has made!

 

Consider how much time and energy we waste dragging our yesterdays around with us.  Some of us cannot even see today because we are stuck in yesterdays.  And yet God made THIS DAY for us to enjoy and share.  AND remember this as well, because God created today, He is with us throughout this day.  Why?  Because He loves us and has promised to never leave us or turn His back on us.

 

If that's not a good enough reason to rejoice, then perhaps a heart check would be in order. 

Change of Focus

This is the day the Lord has made.
    We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24 

 

We don't like change.  Because that means we will have to change our routine.  And our routine is our comfort zone, we can go through our routine without thinking.  Yet God gave us a brain in order that we may think.  So you can begin to see the vicious circular pattern here.  And when we get stuck in that cycle of just muddling through, we become irritable, cranky, frustrated about everything and everyone, we become negative people because changing our negative view of the world and its inhabitants means......(dun, dun, dahhhh) CHANGE!

 

Now, refill your coffee and brace yourself.  I challenge each and every one of you to make a positive change in your perspective!  Consider this:  God made today.  He didn't have to, but he chose to.  You get to be part of this day. because God loves you enough that He wants you to share in today.  He didn't have to, but He did.  So.....if you still want to be crabby, irritated, hateful, and just cranky about life and everyone in it, you have just taken God's gift to you, stomped on it, and have thrown it back in His face! 

 

TODAY is the day the Lord has made for us!  Yesterday is NOT today!  Tomorrow is NOT today!  Only TODAY is today!  Celebrate and thank God for TODAY! 

Today's Gift Just For You

This is the day the Lord has made.
    We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24 

 

How many of us have ever heard the alarm go off, only to realize it's Monday, and we seriously consider dismantling the alarm clock?  Have you ever felt like you just wanted to crawl back in bed instead of getting up to face the day?  When did our perception of the day change from one of celebration to one of dread?

 

When I was a tyke (stop laughing), I liked getting up in the morning because I didn't know what the day held in store but was anxious to find out.  Such is the mind of an innocent, unjaded, inquisitive mind.  Somewhere along the line of life, the thought of having to get up and do something has become a curse.

 

Consider this: God made today just for you!  You have a part in this day!  You are important to the way today will play out.  God loves you so much that He made this day especially for you!  That's a gift worth being glad and even being happy in.  Today....is YOURS!

Today's Challenge: Live ONE Day At A Time!

So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Matthew 6:34

 

 It's amazing the way God reminds us of lessons we had learned yet seem to have gotten lost in our daily rush to get everything done.  I was stopped at a traffic light when the song "One Day At A Time" by Joe Walsh came on the radio.  As I listened to the song, several thoughts came bouncing into my mind like excited Jack Russell Terriers trying to get the first cookie.  God has given us the gift of living each day ONE Day At A Time.

 

Think about it.....When the Israelites were wandering through the wilderness, God provided their DAILY needs (Exodus 16:4); God's mercies are NEW every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23); Jesus taught us to pray "And give us THIS day, our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11).  God has made provision for us exactly what we need every single day!  We don't have to worry about tomorrow, in spite of what happens around us, because God has already been through tomorrow and has made provision for us when tomorrow becomes today.

 

Yes, it's difficult not to worry about tomorrow when it is being shoved in our faces every moment of every day, and "gloom and doom" seem to be on every news feed. Yet when we stop for a moment and remember the great lesson that God has even built into us (we live our lives one heartbeat at a time, one breath at a time, one day at a time), then tomorrow doesn't seem so daunting.

Focus on the Simple!

So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

~Matthew 6:34 

 

This week, we have spent time focusing on the Simplicity that Christ taught.  Imagine a world where we would be able to live a simple life.  It IS possible, believe it or not.  Life is pretty simple: We take in nourishment, expel waste, the rest is added extras.

I went to the Doctor for my annual physical last year and was told I needed to lose weight.  Then he started rattling of the whole counting carb, proteins, calories, timing, and a lot of other stuff that mad my head spin.  Finally, I asked for a SIMPLE plan that even I could follow.  His response?  "If you like eating it, stop!"  Can't get much simpler than that.  Pretty much I CAN eat anything I dislike (like termites, tree bark, old rubber tires, etc.).  

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I was focusing on meals that had not taken place yet and it was stressing me to the point I was getting crabby.  I was getting crabby about something that had yet to happen.  So......deep breath.....embrace the WOOSAH!  Focus on today!  

You see, Jesus taught us well when He taught us to live simply!  We are given life one moment at a time!  Why rush it?  We can only take one breath at a time! Why waste it?

Make your life one worth remembering instead of being one of stress and hurry!

Today Is THE Day!

This is the day the Lord has made.
    We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24 

 If you are reading this, then welcome to TODAY!  You see, TODAY is THE day!  What day?  THE Day that you get to decide to make it worth remembering or just another day to endure.  Today is THE DAY you will never get to see again or live through again.  Today is THE DAY that God has made specifically for you!  This is His gift to you!  

Yesterday...we can never change anything that has already happened.  EVER!  

Tomorrow....we haven't gotten there yet, so we can only plan possibilities.

BUT TODAY IS THE DAY we live in now!  TODAY IS THE DAY which we are adding to our legacy!  TODAY IS THE DAY that God has given you and me!  Let's make it a day of rejoicing in spite of our circumstances!  Let's make it a day of celebrating the victories!  Let make it a day that God will be thankful He gave us!

TODAY is the day God has made...just for you!

Thankful Thinking

And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 5:20

 

This week started off with the news that a dear friend from High School had died.  This started my mind to whirring and sparking with memories of the interactions we had shared over the years.  It's news like this that make me feel old.  Yes, to some the age of 53 is a "ripe (take that term as you will) old age" and to most of us who are in that range 53 is just a new start.  After all, a car with 53,000 miles on it is just getting broken in.  

 

The more I thought, the more I remembered something about my friend....she was always grateful for everything.  Even when she got cancer, I remember her telling me that "God's going to help someone through my struggle."  From this friend I learned, and know remember that somewhere along the way had lost, the habit of being Thankful!

 

We need to learn to be Thankful.  On Thanksgiving, we may have a passing thought about being thankful for the football game or the food or the fact that Black Friday will happen without my participation or some other irrelevant idea.  

 

But what are you truly thankful for?   

      *    Seeing a new day

      *    The fact that someone remembers you and thinks of you.

      *    The fact that you know someone and think about them.

      *    That I can help someone in need. Even if that means pushing them to do for themselves.

     *     People who have seen us at our absolute worst and still love us without judging us.

     *     Being able to recall the pleasant times in our lives. (Most of us seem to remember the horrible times in our lives with MUCH more clarity).

     *     The peace that prayer brings.

     *     The lessons we learn through our trials.

 

You see, when we develop the virtue of Thankful Thinking, our entire perspective will change.  Thankful Thinking is the realization that life is NOT ABOUT ME!  

 

Let's learn to be thankful for all things. Whether we like them or not, they have a purpose for us.