How is the weather where you are? As I stare out the window at a cold, wet winter’s day, I find myself feeling gloomy. I long for the sunshine of spring. But then, I remind myself to be thankful for every day, even the cold and cloudy ones.
+++
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24 – ESV
Do you find yourself languishing in the winter doldrums? The weather is cold and gloomy, no sunshine to warm our faces, no bright light to illuminate our paths. We rise in the chilly darkness, go to work or school, and often return home under a black halo of darkness. It is too cold to work outside in our yards. Some of you have mountains of snow to contend with, windshields to clear, driveways to shovel before you can exit your house. We feel shut in, put upon, down in the dumps.
Yet, this is the day The Lord has made. He has prepared it just for us, like an unexpected gift to open. Ahh…but do we treat it as a gift?
“Ugh, I have to go to work today.” “It’s yucky out there…I don’t want to do anything.”
“Yuck, it’s miserable out here. I’m ready for summer.”
We grumble and grouse, and trudge through the day. We are cranky, full of petty complaints.
Is this how we want to be? Is this how we want to live? We are one day closer to the end of our days here on earth. Do we want to waste it complaining about the mundane tasks on our to do list or grumbling about the wintry weather?
This is the day The Lord has made, let us rejoice in it. The Psalmist calls us to take stock of the day before us and step into it with joy.
“But I don’t feel joyful.” Yes, I understand that. You may not feel joy, but you can choose to be joyful.
You and I can choose to put a smile on our faces. We can choose to greet our neighbors with a lift in our voices. I can choose to look at the leafless branches on the trees and see the beauty as the first rays of sun shimmer along the damp bark. You can watch the sun come up as you glance in the rearview mirror. Notice the glow on the horizon, the golden colors dancing across the sky.
We can choose to rejoice. We can choose to notice God’s blessings that He bestows anew with every sunrise and we can bow our heads in thanksgiving. For there is good in every new day. There are possibilities and opportunities.
God has plans for us, even on gloomy days, even when the day seems ordinary. Perhaps His plan is for you and I to learn to rejoice in Him, to give thanks in all circumstances, to set our hearts on what is good and right and true. Perhaps the way we live on the ordinary days is more important than the way we live on those exciting adventurous days.
Maybe it’s about our choices. Will we choose to rejoice and be glad or continue to wallow in our self imposed misery?
It’s a new day. Which one will you choose?
+++
Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
Colossians 2:7 – NLT
PRAYER
O Lord God Almighty, thank You for this new day. Thank You for another day to live and breathe and love. Whatever awaits us in this new day, help us to embrace it with a heart full of thanksgiving. Give us new eyes to see the countless blessings that each day holds. Help us celebrate the ordinary days and make them count by the way we show love to our neighbor. It’s a new day that You have made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
In the Majestic Name of Jesus, we give thanks and pray,
Faith Beyond Sight 
Hey Anita..enjoyed the MM this morning. Love you bunches! Auntie
LikeLike