Celebrate Today

Ten days ago I turned 41. How did that happen? It feels like only a few weeks ago I turned 40. I remember turning 9 and feeling very grown up. Then 17, at which point I couldn’t even conceive turning 25, let alone 41.

Sometimes it seems like time flows and shifts at different paces, sometimes we want time to hurry up and sometimes we cling to each moment, each day, wishing life would slow down. But we have no control over time, all we know for sure is that every day is brand new day until the day you die. It reminds me of a wonderful quote by Maya Angelou;

“This is a wonderful day, I have never seen this one before.”

Let us go to God in prayer;

Lord Almighty, each day is a gift for us to unwrap and discover. We do not know yet the contents of the rest of this day nor tomorrow nor the next.

Lord help us not to wake up with assumptions and not to prejudge what the day has in store for us.

Lord help us not to wake up with worry and anxiety, but with awe and excitement about the blessings we are about to unwrap from the gift that is each new day. Let us not view each day as a series of trials but as a series of challenges to relish and enjoy. Let us not wake up considering the burdens of the day, but rather the gifts and blessing we will pass on to others to unburden them.

Lord help us not to think of all the things we have to do but come to you with gratitude for all the things we get to do.

Holy Spirit, remind us that if we keep complaining about everything that comes our way each day, we will cease to grow. What we see as struggles and problems may be just the water we need for our seed of faith to grow.

Holy Spirit do not allow us to become complacent with the joy that each new day can bring us, do not allow us to become stagnant in our thoughts. Help us to keep awe and gratitude as our ways of living.

How would it be if we truly treated each day as a wonderful gift from you God, a gift we had never seen before? As Mark Twain said, “Give every day the chance to be the most beautiful day of your life.”

Through your grace and love, Lord Jesus, this thought can become a reality.

Each day we may not wake up to financial riches, but we can always wake up to the riches of love and friendship. Each day we may not eat out at fine dining restaurants but there is always an abundance of spiritual food to nourish our souls.

Amen.