That is the Day!

How often have we heard these words…
but do we embrace their Godly wisdom?

A year of COVID restrictions, and family isolation… working from home… school on ZOOM… groceries delivered… activities cancelled… For a year, we have waited for our lives to begin again. But now that the world is opening up, life is speeding up. The demands of our busy schedules eat up precious minutes, leaving little time left for peaceful family moments. One mother commented, “I will miss the lock-down. It gave us room to be a family again.” Dinners shared… Walks in the neighborhood… Movie night… Puzzles on the dining room table… Precious moments, that will now take more intentional effort to carve out of busy schedules. We could not have imagined in March of 2020 the blessings that would come through a global pandemic. What a precious gift those days of isolation were for some… but did we treasure the opportunity?

This is the day the Lord has made… will we rejoice?

A diagnosis can flip reality on its head… how quickly life can become a battle. Each day, each treatment, each doctor’s visit yet another challenge to be faced. Exhaustion steals away precious moments… and then the battle begins all over again. Unless… that day, that treatment, that doctor’s visit is precious time together, moments of shared conversation, even exhausted moments side by side fingers interlaced. We yearn for victory in the battle, but what if this is the time we have?... Could it be that

This is the day the Lord has made… will we rejoice?

Graduates gathered last week at one high school after another. Caps and gowns turning eclectic groups of teens into seas of red or blue or green or yellow. Parents waited in the stands to cheer on their child. Friends and family watched the livestream. Speeches were made, music played, names read as one by one students walked across the stage to mark the completion of a chapter in their lives. All but two… boys who had been friends from preschool, who drove together to the Poconos after their Senior Prom. That late night drive would cost one his life and leave the other forever changed. When their names were read, no one was there to walk across the stage. Their friends and family could not have imagined how precious those Senior Prom pictures and memories would be… that last time together… how important that last day was…

This is the day the Lord has made… will we rejoice?

A newborn, who made his appearance in the world 3 months earlier than expected, is still not quite strong enough to go home. The beautifully designed nursery sits empty as a daily reminder that his home is a hospital NICU. His parents measure time with their precious little one in minutes. The grand mom still waits for her first snuggles, so she passes the time scrolling through pictures and waiting for snippets of news that come from the hospital. Their story plays out on Facebook, one post at a time. All this could feel like just a cruel waiting game, but this family has chosen to value each touch, each moment, each picture and story, each beat of his tiny heart. They hope and pray for a lifetime of more… but they know that

This is the day the Lord has made… we will rejoice!

Stop where you are, even as you read this letter. Mark this moment. Seal the memory in your heart and mind. What is God doing in your life right now? Where is the blessing that is too often missed in the busy of life? We have no guarantee of tomorrow, just the precious gift of today.

This is the day the Lord has made. May we be a people who choose to rejoice and be glad!

With you in this precious day,
Anita