This is the Day
I’ve lived long enough to know that morning is the most important time of day.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and I will confess, I am not a morning person, but I have learned over the years that it is the most important time in your day. Most of the time, I’m a little groggy when the alarm goes off; I’m not the kind to bound out of bed (well, obviously I can’t do that). But you know what I mean. You know, my head is foggy, I’m yawning, and often I would really love to get an extra hour of sleep. Besides, I’m lying there thinking that I’ve got to face another morning of someone coming into my bedroom, giving me a bed bath, range-of-motion exercises, doing toileting routines, get me dressed, sit me up in a wheelchair, push me to the bathroom, brush my teeth, blow my nose, brush my hair… and I’m lying there thinking, Oh, Lord, I don’t have the energy for this. Oh my goodness, I can’t do this.
That’s what I normally think. That’s my human, natural response to the day as a quadriplegic. But you know what? Still lying there in bed, in that little in-between time — you know, when your eyes are still closed and you haven’t yet opened them. That is where the battle is won because that is where you set your mind for the day. Is your attitude going to embrace the day? Decide to have a good day or are you going to drift through the morning and allow your circumstances to dictate your feelings?
For me, and I’ve been learning to do this a lot lately. Most recently, I’ve been learning to isolate those first few seconds, that first minute. And I make myself remember Psalm 118, verse 24. When I’ve got my eyes closed and I haven’t yet opened them, I remember God’s motto for the morning, simple and powerful: “This is the day the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Friend, those are commands — commands to be happy, get excited. And sure, my feelings are not there yet, but they will be, they can be if, before I open my eyes, I just take a step of faith in those few short seconds and ask the Holy Spirit to shape my attitude. He will give the emotions; He’ll impart the feelings and He’ll do it because I believe Him. I believe God’s Word. I can be glad about the day because God has commanded me to be so. And His commands always call forth the best in us.
And on what are those commands based? What grounds do we have to choose a good attitude in the morning? Well, this is the day the Lord has given you. It’s not just any ordinary 24-hour slice of time. There’s nothing ordinary about it. It is a gift. It is given to you by the hand of God to live with joy and thanksgiving. Because, friend, actually, God owes this utterly rebellious planet absolutely nothing. He is not required to cause the sun to come up in the morning. No, this world could be burnt toast in a nanosecond. But thankfully, God has tempered His justice with His mercy, and we all know that His mercies are new every morning. So, expect to be blessed and expect the day to hold opportunities to bless others. Rejoice and be glad in this day because God invites you to be His partner in sharing His Good News, His love, His Gospel, and His encouragement. Rejoice and be glad in this day because it is your chance to invest in heavenly glories above… your chance to prove your faith in Christ… your chance to demonstrate to the heavenlies that you believe God.
So, tomorrow morning, decide to have a good day. For this is the day the Lord has made. And I know, I believe, I just bet you want to rejoice and be glad in it!
Previously aired as Program #7767 on 2/7/12
© Joni and Friends
