This Day
Excerpt from Psalm 118
"This is the day that our God has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Reflection by Martin B. Copenhaver
I am a very future-oriented person. I have a calendar that contains pages for the present year but also two years ahead. I can tell you now what I am going to preach about in Lent. I have a special drawer where I keep tickets to plays or games or trips I look forward to. When that drawer is empty, I get almost panicked.
None of that is bad, I suppose, but being such a future-oriented person sometimes prevents me from appreciating the only day I can live in, and that is today.
Those of us who are farsighted — both literally and figuratively — can see things at a distance but have a hard time seeing what is under our noses.
That is why, when I read this psalm, I tend to emphasize the very first word: "This is the day that the Lord has made..."
That single word "this" is often the reminder I need. This is the day that God has made and given to me, to all of us, as a gift. This is the day that will have the power to bless, if I let it. This is the day I can make a difference in the world, even if only one small corner of it, if I choose to. This is the day to enjoy, if I will allow myself to.
Not tomorrow. Or next year. This day.
Prayer
God, thank you for the gift of this day. Open my heart to receive its blessings and to find in this day ample reason to rejoice.
Excerpt from Psalm 118
"This is the day that our God has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Reflection by Martin B. Copenhaver
I am a very future-oriented person. I have a calendar that contains pages for the present year but also two years ahead. I can tell you now what I am going to preach about in Lent. I have a special drawer where I keep tickets to plays or games or trips I look forward to. When that drawer is empty, I get almost panicked.
None of that is bad, I suppose, but being such a future-oriented person sometimes prevents me from appreciating the only day I can live in, and that is today.
Those of us who are farsighted — both literally and figuratively — can see things at a distance but have a hard time seeing what is under our noses.
That is why, when I read this psalm, I tend to emphasize the very first word: "This is the day that the Lord has made..."
That single word "this" is often the reminder I need. This is the day that God has made and given to me, to all of us, as a gift. This is the day that will have the power to bless, if I let it. This is the day I can make a difference in the world, even if only one small corner of it, if I choose to. This is the day to enjoy, if I will allow myself to.
Not tomorrow. Or next year. This day.
Prayer
God, thank you for the gift of this day. Open my heart to receive its blessings and to find in this day ample reason to rejoice.
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