So I was putting a book away this evening and was looking for another book. I was looking for "Captivating" - a very good book that I never finished. But instead, I spotted another book. I bought this book - probably 3 years ago I'd say. I think I bought it at the last Women of Faith conference I was at. I bought it because it was by Max Lucado and he is one of my favorite authors. He's actually the author of the first Christian book I ever read (other than the Bible). I buy his books because he wrote them! This was no different. Of course, I thought it would be a good book but it was because it was his that I bought it. I never opened it though - until today.
I believe there is a reason I didn't open the book 3 years ago. Life was different for me. I embraced each day with a much better attitude. I need this book now. That became clear from the first page I read.
Suppose neck deep in a "terrible, horrible, no good, ver bad day," you resolve to give it a chance. You choose not to drink or work or worry it away but give it a fair shake. You trust more. Stress less. Amplify gratitude. Mute grumbling. And what do you know? Before long the day is done and surprisingly decent." (page 4)
Wouldn't that be wonderful? Instead of thinking about how the day will just get more terrible (cause it's that what we really do), we just work THROUGH it. We rejoice in it!!! "This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118: 24). And notice, he didn't say the day would be great. He said decent. We get so disappointed when we decide the day will be great and it's not. I definitely think we should strive for great days! But we have to remember that decent isn't bad either. And if we're rejoicing in the decent day, it doesn't seem so bad...and we start to feel like it was great!
You know longer have yesterday. It slipped away as you slept. It is gone. You'll more easily retrieve a puff of smoke. You can't change, alter, or improve it. Sorry, no mulligans allowed. Hourglass sand won't flow upward. The second hand of the clock refuses to tick backward. The monthly calendar reads left to right, not right to left. You no longer have yesterday.
You do no yet have tomorrow. Unless you accelerate the orbit of the earth or convince the sun to rise twice before it sets once, you can't live tomorrow today. You can't spend tomorrow's money, celebrate tomorrow's achievements, or resolve tomorrow's riddles. You have only today. This is the day the Lord has made. (page 5)
...Guilt presses on one side. Dread drags the other. No wonder we weary so. We sabotage our day, wiring it for disaster, lugging along yesterday's troubles, downloading tomorrow's struggles. Remorse over the past, anxiety over the future. We aren't giving the day a chance. (page 6)
I want to give my days a chance! I want good days!!! And I want that to pour out to other people! If p;eople see you giving the day a chance, they're more likly to do it as well. If nothing else, you're giving their day a chance. I want to give each day a chance - I want to give God the chance to work through me everyday!
Daylifter:
The next time you are mired in a bad day, check your outlook with these three questions:
1. What do I feel guilty about?
2. What am I worried about?
3. What am I about?
Reflect on your answers with these reminders:
Yesterday...Forgiven.
Tomorrow...Surrendered.
Today...Clarified.
Jesus' design for a good day makes such sense. His grace erases guilt. His oversight removes fear. His direction removes confusion.
My goal is to read this book everyday as a start to a good day...and not be disappointed if they day is just "decent." I also want to open my Bible more and depend on God more. You'd think I'd know by now that I can't do it without Him!
Give your day a chance to shine for Him!!!
I believe there is a reason I didn't open the book 3 years ago. Life was different for me. I embraced each day with a much better attitude. I need this book now. That became clear from the first page I read.
Suppose neck deep in a "terrible, horrible, no good, ver bad day," you resolve to give it a chance. You choose not to drink or work or worry it away but give it a fair shake. You trust more. Stress less. Amplify gratitude. Mute grumbling. And what do you know? Before long the day is done and surprisingly decent." (page 4)
Wouldn't that be wonderful? Instead of thinking about how the day will just get more terrible (cause it's that what we really do), we just work THROUGH it. We rejoice in it!!! "This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118: 24). And notice, he didn't say the day would be great. He said decent. We get so disappointed when we decide the day will be great and it's not. I definitely think we should strive for great days! But we have to remember that decent isn't bad either. And if we're rejoicing in the decent day, it doesn't seem so bad...and we start to feel like it was great!
You know longer have yesterday. It slipped away as you slept. It is gone. You'll more easily retrieve a puff of smoke. You can't change, alter, or improve it. Sorry, no mulligans allowed. Hourglass sand won't flow upward. The second hand of the clock refuses to tick backward. The monthly calendar reads left to right, not right to left. You no longer have yesterday.
You do no yet have tomorrow. Unless you accelerate the orbit of the earth or convince the sun to rise twice before it sets once, you can't live tomorrow today. You can't spend tomorrow's money, celebrate tomorrow's achievements, or resolve tomorrow's riddles. You have only today. This is the day the Lord has made. (page 5)
...Guilt presses on one side. Dread drags the other. No wonder we weary so. We sabotage our day, wiring it for disaster, lugging along yesterday's troubles, downloading tomorrow's struggles. Remorse over the past, anxiety over the future. We aren't giving the day a chance. (page 6)
I want to give my days a chance! I want good days!!! And I want that to pour out to other people! If p;eople see you giving the day a chance, they're more likly to do it as well. If nothing else, you're giving their day a chance. I want to give each day a chance - I want to give God the chance to work through me everyday!
Daylifter:
The next time you are mired in a bad day, check your outlook with these three questions:
1. What do I feel guilty about?
2. What am I worried about?
3. What am I about?
Reflect on your answers with these reminders:
Yesterday...Forgiven.
Tomorrow...Surrendered.
Today...Clarified.
Jesus' design for a good day makes such sense. His grace erases guilt. His oversight removes fear. His direction removes confusion.
My goal is to read this book everyday as a start to a good day...and not be disappointed if they day is just "decent." I also want to open my Bible more and depend on God more. You'd think I'd know by now that I can't do it without Him!
Give your day a chance to shine for Him!!!
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