A Strategy for the Ordinary Days
It's the craziest thing -- I just keep having birthdays! Every year, on June 5, I officially get older. Of course, I'm keenly aware that one day that cycle will come to an abrupt halt, and that pressing realization has given me pause for reflection lately. I'm not afraid of leaving here and going Home. I know that "to be absent from the body" is to be "present with the Lord," and that's a good, comforting thought. But until THAT day and God willing, I have some pretty ordinary days ahead. What I've struggled with is how to live those days well. And what I've decided is that it has a great deal to do with where I focus.
The idea of an early morning battle plan came after I read a devotional by Sheila Walsh in 5 Minutes with Jesus. She says, "If the Word of God is the first thing I give my heart and mind to, I see everything as under the control of my all-good, all-powerful, and all-loving heavenly Father." She wakes up and prays Psalm 143:8 -- "Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I entrust my life." I've fallen in love with that Scripture so that's my very first prayerful thought each day.
I've also latched on to a phrase from an Oswald Chambers devotional that reminds me to face each day with "glad anticipation." That's a great antidote to my "fear and dread" feelings that often greet me in the mornings. And of course, if you know me very well at all, gratitude is like pushing the reset button on my life and my attitude. There's SO MUCH to be thankful for, but I start my thanks to God for the gift of a new day...for the privilege of being a part of His family...for the purposes that He has for my day and for my life.
I'm humbled that He would choose me to do even a small part of His work here on earth, and I tell Him so. He knows already that I'm a hot mess, but He loves me wildly. And that just stirs my desire to serve Him with all that's in me so I offer myself to Him for whatever He calls me to do. His Word tells me that I'm a new creation, but He and I both know that I keep running back to that old, dead girl and trying to be who I used to be instead of who He made me to be. So I ask Him to help me "live a life worthy of the calling I have received" through Jesus. I remind myself of His character and His promises. "Great is Your faithfulness; Your mercies are new EVERY morning." And I submit to His plans for the day because there's no better place to be than in the service of my King and Father. "I am the servant of the Lord. May it happen to me according to Your Word."
Then THIS is what gets me through the day. Today isn't just Monday. Or Tuesday. Or Saturday. TODAY is "Take Your Daughter to Work Day," and MY Dad is awesome! I can of course wake up with that "glad anticipation" when I hear my sweet Father's voice calling to me to join Him in His plans! He's realistic -- there may be some hard things in front of me, and I may get scared or feel nervous, but my Father is with me! "If God is for us, who can be against us?!" I can take the hard punches because I know that my Father is there to defend and protect me. If I'm a witness to heartbreak or tragedy, my Father is there to comfort me. And just as with any child, things will happen that I don't understand. But when I trust my Father, I know that in the end, He'll take care of everything. On this day with my Dad, I'll probably make some mistakes -- some really BIG mistakes. And guess what. Because He loves me, He'll correct me but also lavish me with forgiveness and compassion. He's a GOOD Father, and I'm in good hands. I'll be tired at the end of the day, and my Father will take me in His arms and carry me to a place of rest. And He'll whisper one more sweet thing to my soul before I fall asleep -- a promise that He made to His people through His servant Joshua many, many years ago -- "Consecrate yourselves, for TOMORROW the Lord will do amazing things among you." I can hardly wait!
(God's Word -- 2 Corinthians 5:8, Psalm 143:8, Ephesians 4:1, Lamentations 3:23, Luke 1:38, Romans 8:31b, Joshua 3:5)
The idea of an early morning battle plan came after I read a devotional by Sheila Walsh in 5 Minutes with Jesus. She says, "If the Word of God is the first thing I give my heart and mind to, I see everything as under the control of my all-good, all-powerful, and all-loving heavenly Father." She wakes up and prays Psalm 143:8 -- "Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I entrust my life." I've fallen in love with that Scripture so that's my very first prayerful thought each day.
I've also latched on to a phrase from an Oswald Chambers devotional that reminds me to face each day with "glad anticipation." That's a great antidote to my "fear and dread" feelings that often greet me in the mornings. And of course, if you know me very well at all, gratitude is like pushing the reset button on my life and my attitude. There's SO MUCH to be thankful for, but I start my thanks to God for the gift of a new day...for the privilege of being a part of His family...for the purposes that He has for my day and for my life.
I'm humbled that He would choose me to do even a small part of His work here on earth, and I tell Him so. He knows already that I'm a hot mess, but He loves me wildly. And that just stirs my desire to serve Him with all that's in me so I offer myself to Him for whatever He calls me to do. His Word tells me that I'm a new creation, but He and I both know that I keep running back to that old, dead girl and trying to be who I used to be instead of who He made me to be. So I ask Him to help me "live a life worthy of the calling I have received" through Jesus. I remind myself of His character and His promises. "Great is Your faithfulness; Your mercies are new EVERY morning." And I submit to His plans for the day because there's no better place to be than in the service of my King and Father. "I am the servant of the Lord. May it happen to me according to Your Word."
Then THIS is what gets me through the day. Today isn't just Monday. Or Tuesday. Or Saturday. TODAY is "Take Your Daughter to Work Day," and MY Dad is awesome! I can of course wake up with that "glad anticipation" when I hear my sweet Father's voice calling to me to join Him in His plans! He's realistic -- there may be some hard things in front of me, and I may get scared or feel nervous, but my Father is with me! "If God is for us, who can be against us?!" I can take the hard punches because I know that my Father is there to defend and protect me. If I'm a witness to heartbreak or tragedy, my Father is there to comfort me. And just as with any child, things will happen that I don't understand. But when I trust my Father, I know that in the end, He'll take care of everything. On this day with my Dad, I'll probably make some mistakes -- some really BIG mistakes. And guess what. Because He loves me, He'll correct me but also lavish me with forgiveness and compassion. He's a GOOD Father, and I'm in good hands. I'll be tired at the end of the day, and my Father will take me in His arms and carry me to a place of rest. And He'll whisper one more sweet thing to my soul before I fall asleep -- a promise that He made to His people through His servant Joshua many, many years ago -- "Consecrate yourselves, for TOMORROW the Lord will do amazing things among you." I can hardly wait!
(God's Word -- 2 Corinthians 5:8, Psalm 143:8, Ephesians 4:1, Lamentations 3:23, Luke 1:38, Romans 8:31b, Joshua 3:5)