Meet the Day

So I have a confession to make…

I may be over twenty, and I may do many adult things, like go to work and pay the bills, but still I will always and forever…

 LOVE Winnie the Pooh.

In fact I have the big book of the complete stories and poems.  And this big book might just be sitting beside the couch this very moment because I might have just read some selections from it last night.

Anyway, I really am going somewhere with this, I promise. 

In one of the stories, there is a snippet of dialogue which goes like this:

“What day is it?” asked Pooh.

“It’s today,” squeaked Piglet.

“My favorite day,” said Pooh.

At first glance I chuckled over this, as I chuckle over quite a lot of things in this wonderful big book of Pooh.  But then it struck me that a deeper meaning could be seen in this.

Now, whether A.A. Milne ever meant there to be something deeper, I will never know, but whether he did or didn’t, I have found something profound beneath this simple snippet.

There have been many days that have felt like “a favorite day” for me.  A day I found out I got a job I was really hoping for, days on vacation, a day a prayer was answered…

But what about all the days in between?  What did I do with them?  Did I appreciate them at all?  Did I make the most of them?

As I look back, most of the days between the “favorites” seem to be a blur of ordinary, boring routine, with bouts of stress and sadness, as well as some simple joys and pleasures, breaking up the sameness.  And it occurs to me that there is so much time that I have wasted.

I have wasted with too much worry…

When I wearied myself by putting all the focus on what ifs, and tried to control things that I really have no way of controlling.

I have wasted with too much work…

When I wore myself out by only seeing all that had to be done and busying myself with expectations that were too high. 

And I have wasted with too much wandering…

When I wanted my own way and ignored God’s guidance. 

I cannot gain back what I’ve already wasted.  All I can do is carry on forward.  Hopefully with a healthier, wiser mindset.

What if, like Pooh, I could be excited about a day just because it is today?

Psalm 118:24 says, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  (ESV)

What if I look at every today to come as a gift from God, and be glad for that very reason?  What if I choose to see the possibilities it presents? 

What if I put God first in my day? 

What if, when I look back, I can be full of thankfulness, rather than full of regret? 

What if, when I look back at the good that came my way, I can be glad that I took the time to savor and treasure it, instead of rushing through it?  And what if when I look back at the struggles and pain that overtook the path, I can see how God was there when I called upon Him, giving me the extra strength and comfort I needed?

I need to remember that I only have so much time, and so I should make the most of it.  “All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.”  (Isaiah 40:6, ESV).  I do not have forever on this earth.  The small drop of time I have in the ocean of all of the time that has and will exist ought to be treated with care, and wisely handled as the precious thing it is. 

And when I stumble, as I’m sure I will, I do not have to berate myself and be discouraged.  Instead I can let the failure go, and be encouraged to know that I can continue on and start the next day right.  God will forgive me, and He will lift me up. 

“This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope.  The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.  “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, therefore I have hope in Him.”  The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.”  (Lamentations 3:21-25, NASB)

While I cannot always change what happens today, I can always change my attitude about it.  I can meet the day head on, whatever it brings, and live it to its fullest. 

{Linking with Kelli Woodford for Unforced Rhythms.}