This is the day

RB McFee

Email: drmcfee2020@gmail.com

“This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Psalm 118:24

 “Let us rejoice,” in the new day…

Yet how often do we wake up rejoicing in the new day? Do we think about what a blessing to have another day on earth to see the beauty all around us, to hear nature’s call, or the voices of those we care about?  Do we pop up from our pillow, jump out of bed with eager anticipation like a 5 year old on Christmas morning?

Or more commonly do we focus on all the tasks, problems, challenges, responsibilities and unknowns facing us as soon as our eyes pop open? With all that mountain of baggage facing us, does the very thought of getting out of bed drives us deeper under the pillows? Is the prospect of putting feet on cold floor enough to drive us to distraction, or some travel web site to order tickets to anywhere? Does the phone number 1.800. GET. AWAY blink behind your sleepy eyelids?

To be sure we all face a litany of adulting assignments – going to work, paying bills, taking care of someone or something that was unscheduled; the last straw closing in.

Here’s the thing; except for the technology, whatever we face, the folks in Psalms 118:24 faced.

On second thought, they had it worse – escaping a king who wanted to kill the primary writer of Psalms, wars, hunger, disease, wild animals, and other dangers our fellow believers in God lived with millennia ago – risks, threats and daily challenges we don’t have to endure – and yet the Psalmists crafted a reminder to themselves and all of us through the ages – “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Although cliché, it is nevertheless true – today is a gift. It is the only time we exist. Our past, our dreams for the future are all imagery and beyond our control. Sure we can visit our past, but we can’t live there. And what is to come? That belongs to God and how faithfully we follow the breadcrumbs He lays out for us in our lives towards where we are being led.

Make no mistake about it – today is it.

Oh and here’s a cheery thought from this physician… In the time it has taken you to read this sentence, you are a few seconds closer to death or Elijah’s fiery chariot ride to Heaven (if the Lord decides to send you His personal angelic Uber).

Which is to say, don’t waste the days as if they were something to check off on a calendar.

Each moment you and I are alive it is for a purpose. What that purpose is, well that’s something you and the Lord will have to spend time discussing.

And here’s the caveat. You might not at this moment, or even this afternoon, know what your true calling, or long term purpose, the where is “there” of your life. That’s where Proverbs 3: 5 – 6 and Jeremiah 29:11 come in.

Not surprisingly, these are my starting daily scriptures. These are the conversation starters with God. They are also the Word that either inspire or convict me. Do I really every day believe God is directing my life, and if so, am I acting that way, living that way?

In the spirit of full transparency, mostly yes.

Of course there are times when I wonder if I am doing enough on my part. I’m pretty darn sure God is doing His. But am I putting the car in neutral, as high a gear as I should, or do I put the brakes?

Yet by being present, and mindful of the whispers of our indwelling God – the Holy Spirit, and devoting time every day to scripture, prayer, and listening, I can position myself to better allow our Lord to make my path straight (Proverbs 3: 5 – 6).

Have I a clear understanding of what’s next mid-term or long term? Nope. But I am clear on this point – God knows what is in store for me.

That I haven’t received the map with a big red “X” marked on it yet, well that’s ok.

Today I know what I need to do – be available to the Lord, be willing to do as He whispers, be aware of all He is doing around me today – such as admiring the lovely and free white landscaping on the lawn which makes everything look happier, especially when the sun hits it….as if the twinkles are God winking and smiling at me. 

And then, one of my jobs today is to reflect that God winking twinkling smile to others I meet so that whether at work, at play, grocery shopping, engaging someone in need on the street corner, whomever and wherever, they need to see the Lord in me.

Isn’t that something to be glad and rejoice in; the opportunity to be the Love of Christ in the world today?

No it won’t erase the problems we face. And no it is unlikely the homeless guy you give coffee or food or money to, will then reach into his pocket and say “here’s the map to your next life destination….see the big red X,”  but then again, in the encounter you might just be feeding the Lord or treating an angel unaware, or finding a blessing unexpected.

You are alive, and loved; by God, our faith family, me, and likely so many others…. and you have the chance to spread that love.

Difficulties or not, if you have a pulse you have a purpose.

A day really is like a box of chocolates (to paraphrase Forrest Gump) ….. we just never know what God will put inside until we get into it. So let’s open the box, and see where our Lord leads us.

Each day, problems or not, is a set of opportunities the Lord has gifted us.

“This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”