Thursday, October 21, 2010

This Day.

When I was a child, my parents taught me to start every prayer with, "Dear Lord, Thank you for this day." From then on, we were to thank Him for some other things, confess things we knew were wrong, and wrap it up by making our requests.

I've always prayed that way, thanking God first for this day above all else. Of course, as is true with many repetitious things, the first part of my prayers became habit while more thought went into the rest, following conviction to confess and bringing to mind others for whom I felt compelled to pray. I was saying that I was thankful for the day, but I didn't always mean it, truthfully.

After a restless night with Naomi followed by a tiring morning of bad napping, I found myself exclaiming, "THIS DAY!!" in frustration. I've done it before, bemoaning "this day" and all of the things that come with it. But it never dawned on me that "this day" was the very day for which I had said I was thankful. I had not thanked Him for any day, for yesterday, or for tomorrow, it was this precise day, this specific day, for which I had given Him thanks. Spoken with the knowledge that this day was one that was never promised to me, that when I opened my eyes and took a breath, it was a gift. This day. It's an unconditional acknowledgement--I don't pray, "Dear Lord, Thank you for this day ... if everything goes right. I mean, You're great and all, but I'm really only going to be thankful if my plans go perfectly and if my babies are angels and if my house is immaculate. Thanks." And yet, I find my attitude being just that--this day, this gift of today, can so easily become a burden, based solely on circumstance.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism asserts, "Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." I had a long post written about the weaning process and formula and my inability to discern proper bottle usage, but I was reminded today that these are all things that are simply circumstantial. They are big things, yes, but they all exist within this day, a day that exists within the life God has given to me. Today it is weaning. Tomorrow it may be teething. The day after that I may catch my hair on fire. But my sole purpose, my chief end, is to glorify God despite those things ... and to enjoy Him. Forever. Regardless of circumstance.

Today I was reminded of the release that comes with finding joy in Him. And I was encouraged that throughout my day, throughout this day, God has given me opportunities to glorify Him. The laundry can be glorifying. Rocking a cranky baby can be glorifying. Taking charge of His gracious gift of children is glorifying. And if I can see it that way, if I can make each seemingly menial task and elevate it to the wonderful responsibility that it truly is, I can enjoy it. And I can therefore enjoy glorifying Him.

And I can enjoy this day.

1 comment:

  1. If you haven't read Amy Grant's memoirs you should. I think you would really enjoy her book. It's very powerful and inspirational.

    Every morning she gets up, goes outside and says, "Today is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it". Each day she tries to put emphasis on a different word of that verse and say it in a different way. Some days she whispers it, other days she shouts it to the mountains.

    When I'm having a really bad day so often this verse comes to mind and I start chanting it to myself. Sometimes it brings me to tears and to my knees in prayer. Isn't this what God wants from us?

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