What a day of rejoicing!

By Bishop Jonathan Holston

“This is the very day God acted—let’s celebrate and be festive!”—Psalm 118:24 (The Message)

Max Lucado writes in a devotional these thoughts: “Every day deserves a chance, a shot, a tryout, an audition, a swing at the plate, an opportunity to be a good day.”

In our own daily devotions we are reminded by Psalm 118:24 that “this is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” We even sing songs of praise that remind us about the goodness of the day.

Yet, in a phrase borrowed from days gone by, we come to understand that “every tub has to stand on its own bottom.” So, we realize that every day has its share of greatness and shadows; of happiness and despair; sickness and health; in good times and times where life is not so good.

Lucado presses the point that in the midst of our everyday lives, we resolve to give each day a chance for excellence. He says, “Suppose when you are neck deep in a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day that you choose not to worry but to give the day a fair shake—to trust more and worry less; to amplify gratitude and grumble less.”

Before long we discover that when we rejoice in every day and give each day a chance, we can truly rejoice and be glad.

Recently, I spoke to a friend who said each day was like “finding new eyes.” He suggested he was seeing the familiar things of life in new ways. At the end of the day, he asked himself three questions; namely, “What surprised me today? What moved or touched me today? What inspired me today?”

I believe these are excellent questions for the living of days that begin in rejoicing and gladness.