In daily life, find joy in Him
Published 12:00 am Saturday, January 4, 2014
“Life is so daily!” I recently heard Joni Eareckson Tada make this statement on her radio program.
She went on to describe her daily routine as a quadriplegic. “Some days, I have to confess, I wish the routine could vary, but like you, certain things just have to be done the same way, the same time, every day. It’s always a challenge to accept the daily-ness of life.”
A Christian musician named Sara Groves wrote a song with a unique look at daily life, “Everyone, everywhere, some way, somehow, are setting up the pins for knocking ‘em down.
“It can feel simple but it’s really profound, Setting up the pins…Cook a dinner, clean the kitchen hit the light; Brush your teeth, read a book, say a prayer good-night. Everyone, everywhere, some way, somehow are setting up the pins for knocking ‘em down.”
Groves also sings, “You can find joy in the fertile ground – setting up the pins and knocking ‘em down.” You can listen to her song at www.yout-ube.com/ watch?v =I1MQaH QgqrY.
Tada says no matter how deep the rut of your daily routine, you can find satisfaction in the Lord Jesus that’s deeper still.
“It’s a reality: you don’t have to be overwhelmed,” she wrote. “The Lord promises that you will have strength (that is, energy and grace) to equal the needs you face in your day. In fact, God invites us to know His satisfaction on an even more profound level as we go to Him for grace, hour-by-hour and moment-by-moment. Especially during those so-called boring hours when we feel everything is on automatic. He knows that’s when we need Him most.”
No matter how repetitive your routine, the Lord’s mercies and compassion fail not – “They are new every morning; Great is (His) faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23 NKJ) The Bible promises, “Your strength will equal your days.” (Deuteronomy 33:25 NIV)
I wonder if the joy that Sara Groves sings about finding day to day could be the same joy we experience at Christmas. If you think about it, we can celebrate Christmas every day of the year. Every day is a gift from God. That’s one reason it’s called “the present.” Each present holds surprises. We do not know what’s ahead in the next 24 hours or 12 months. Winston Groom’s character, Forrest Gump, put it this way, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.”
I’ve heard it said that there are two ways in which to approach life each day – “Good morning, Lord” or “Good Lord, it’s morning.”
God will “give us day by day our daily bread.” (Luke 11:3 NKJ) He “daily loads us with benefits,” for which we should remember to thank Him. (Psalm 68:19)
Someone once said, “Life is a mystery – unfold it. Life is a struggle – face it. Life is beauty – praise it. Life is a puzzle – solve it. Life is opportunity – take it. Life is sorrowful – experience it. Life is a song – sing it. Life is a goal – achieve it. Life is a mission – fulfill it.”