What kind of day are you going to have?

April 16, 2014: What kind of day are you going to have? Please SHARE this new post from Precious Prodigal: http://bit.ly/1h4E1Nn

Psalm 118:24 "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."

You’ve seen them…those little plastic dancing flower toys. They’re solar powered, so they don’t even require batteries, and they only cost about a dollar. Harry loves gizmos like that, so I bought one for him last year. I thought he’d smile (he did), watch it for a minute or two (he did) and lose interest (he didn’t). What he did was put it in the window facing the lake, and that’s where it has been for more than a year.

It’s an interesting little gadget made to look like a daisy with two little leaves on the stem. When the sun comes up, that little flower goes to town! It seems to dance, all the while waving its leaves up and down like two tiny little arms. It’s interesting and amusing to watch.

However, I’ve noticed something else about that little flower. When it’s cloudy or raining or even just overcast, it moves very little. And when it’s storming, it doesn’t move at all. While I understand the reason and mechanics of that, it saddens me a little. Why? Because it reminds me of how people, including me, sometimes react to life when it’s not all sunshine.

All of us go through tough times. It might be sickness, a financial crisis, problems at work, or issues with your spouse or kids. And if you love a prodigal, I can guarantee you will have more cloudy days than bright, sunshiny ones. My pastor says you are either in a crisis, just getting over a crisis or about to have a crisis…it’s a part of life. So it isn’t whether hard times are going to come. They are. It’s how we react to them.

Despite the terrible losses some of us have suffered, I doubt any of us could really compare ourselves to Job, who lost everything. However, when his wife asked why he still retained his integrity and suggested he “curse God and die,” Job asked whether they should expect only good things to happen. (Job 2:9-10) I haven’t forgotten that Job’s wife had also lost everything. However, look at the two completely opposite reactions to the same circumstances! What made Job’s response different? The difference was the exercise of his will.

Although Bible scholars aren’t sure who wrote Psalm 118, I doubt it’s an accident that this psalm is located in the exact center of the Bible. After the writer acknowledges that God made the day, he declares, “We will rejoice and be glad in it.” I’m not trying to minimize the heartaches that come. I’m right there with you, and some days it’s easier to apply this truth than it is on others. However, Abraham Lincoln said it well: “Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.” The simple fact is that trouble comes, but misery is optional.

If I can’t find joy in the day that God has given me, I’m not a lot better off than that silly plastic flower. But there’s more to me than that, and there’s more to you as well. Today is a gift, whether it contains everything on my wish list or not. And it’s a use it or lose it gift because I can never get it back once it’s gone. For me, for today, I will choose to look for the blessings and rejoice in it.

Challenge for Today: Can you, just for today, look for the joy God has for you? It’s there if we’ll just open our eyes.