Jump Start # 1572

Psalms 118:24 “This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

  This is the day which the Lord has made. This day is a gift. Not everyone has this day. For some, they ran out of days yesterday. Their divine appointment with the Lord was called and yesterday was their last day. On this day, with tears in their eyes, their families gather to make plans for a funeral.

For those whose eyes opened today, we have been blessed by the Lord. He has given us a new day. This is more than just Friday. It’s more than the start of a weekend. It’s more than another day at work. It’s more than another school day. It is a gift of the Lord.

Our verse tells us two responses to this day.

First, “let us rejoice.” This is more than just be happy. It carries a connection to God. We rejoice because of the blessing of the Lord. We are thankful. We want to use the day wisely. We want to be productive and beneficial to others.

Second, “Be glad in it.” That’s hard for some. As I type this, I have a post-it note on my desk with all the things I need to get done. It’s full. It will be a busy day. There’s much to get done. Many of us have a day like that today. Busy. With all the things to be done, it’s easy to forget the gladness of the day. We can complain. We can fall into the trap of hating our jobs, our houses, our paychecks and even our lives. Misery mounts. The weather stinks. Prices stink. And before long, we start singing, “Doom, despair and agony on me. If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.”

So here is my list on how to make today a great day. My first thought would be to throw away post-it notes, check out of the office, hop in the car and drive until I run out of gas. We’d love to do that. Skip work and take in a movie. Hit the golf course. Go shopping. But the demands of keeping a job, a family and responsibility doesn’t allow us to do those things. Even if we did, the next day would be a disaster. Nope, still have to go to work. Still have to go to school. Still got things that must be done today.

So, how do we find joy and gladness today?

• Start by doing a quick 10 point “Thank-you.” Look around the room you are in and name 10 things you are thankful for. It may be having a job. It may be having a house. Look. Think. Thank.
• Put on some music that makes you feel good.
• Stare out the window and notice things.
• Think of one person that you need to pray for and then pray for him.
• Get a hymn in your mind and hum it to yourself as you drive today.
• Read something from the Gospels. Jesus and the lepers. Jesus and the bent over woman. Jesus walking on water. Read slowly. Look at the words. Put yourself there.  Find the layers in the story and start peeling them back one by one.
• Call someone today to have a nice chit-chat with.
• Notice colors today. Norma Bowman told me that green must be God’s favorite color because He uses it so much and there are so many different shades of green. I like that.
• It’s Friday, eat some chocolate.
• Watch a funny show with your family.
• Try to get through the entire day without complaining—that includes complaining about work, the weather and the kids.
• Think of your favorite person. Why do you like that person?

Are you noticing something with these simple exercises? Gladness and rejoicing are choices. It doesn’t come for someone who gets to go to the beach every day. The Psalmist had to work. He had family. He had deadlines. He had trials and struggles. Misery is as much a choice as is rejoicing. To have that glad spirit one must control their thoughts. If we allow our thoughts to control us, then traffic, people, problems fill our thoughts and we soon become miserable. We can be rejoicing in the waiting room at the hospital. It’s a choice. You can look around and see trash on the floor, dust on the shelves, or you can look around and see things to make you rejoice. While you are doing that, pick up the trash.

Rejoicing and gladness are not by products of a carefree simple life. They are choices made no matter what the day brings. We are just days away from Sunday. That’s enough to make us rejoice. The best day of the week is almost here!

Some will ruin this day that God has given them because they will waste it being bitter, mean and sour. That’s a choice. They don’t realize it. They make themselves that way. This day can help you with the Lord and others or it can be lost because of the shallow things we think about.

Lower your nets today. Think big thoughts. Pray big prayers. Plan big plans. Rejoice big. Thank big. Don’t follow the masses. We are swimming upstream in a downstream world.

This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad!

Amen!

Roger