Give me a word, Lord: TODAY IS A GOOD DAY FOR A GOOD DAY!

Psalm 34:1 I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.

Psalm 118:24 This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 31:7-8 I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul. You have not handed me over to my enemies but have set me in a safe place.

Have you ever considered that the frame of mind that you have when you start your day seems to set the mood for the rest of the day? If you wake up grumpy, then you are apt to stay grumpy all day long. Not only that, you are apt to let that grumpiness overflow onto everyone you come in contact with throughout the day. It’s true. And our attitude doesn’t merely determine the mood for our day, it sometimes sets the tone for our lives!

I read this funny story that I want to share today. There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and saw that she had only three hairs on her head. “Great,” she said, “I think I’ll braid my hair today.” So she did and had a wonderful day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head. “Hmm,” she said, “I guess I’ll part my hair down the middle.” So she did and had a wonderful day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only one hair left on her head. “Wow,” she said, “today I get to wear my hair in a ponytail.” So she did and had a wonderful, wonderful day. The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that there wasn’t a single hair on her head. “Thank God!” she exclaimed. “I was running out of things to do with my hair!” I absolutely love this! Personally my hair has thinned significantly over the past year due to telogen effluvium. I fight with my curly locks each morning trying to cover the thinning areas, and I’ll confess that I need to adopt this lady’s attitude when it comes to my hair! If a bad hair day made for a bad day, this girl would have a bad day every day! This kinky hair is always having a bad day.

How can we make everyday a good day? I have found a simple solution. Start each day off in the Word of God. Seriously! It is such a simple, yet profound thing to do. Last March, I began writing a daily devotional. I have made it a priority in my life. I try to sit down and read scripture and write the devotional first thing everyday right after saying my morning prayers. I always ask God for a word to share, and He keeps providing things for me to write about. I have shared things related to personal experiences along with things that have been placed on my heart. Most days, I wake up and I don’t have a clue what I am going to write about, but God is always faithful. I read a little of His Word, and tada, a devotional forms.

We all have troubles in our lives. I have friends and families who are enduring great loss, others are dealing with sickness, loss of a job, loss of a home, loss of a relationship, and so much more. When we are feeling those great losses, we must reflect on the Word. Turn to the book of Psalms. I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul. (Psalm 31:7-8) God knows our troubles. He knows exactly what is causing anguish within our souls. He KNOWS, and no matter what we are going through, His love never fails us. He is with us always! But note something important from this quote from Psalms. He said, “I will be glad and rejoice.” The psalmist, King David, made a choice. He chose to be glad and to rejoice in the unfailing love of God. It was a conscious decision. He chose to be glad and rejoice despite his circumstances. He was having trouble. There was anguish within him, yet he chose to be glad and rejoice.

We would do well to as David did. I am the only one who can control my attitude and outlook on life, and you are the only one who can control yours. We can choose to be grumpy Gus’, or we can choose to be happy and joyful. We can wake up each day and have a terrible, no good, very bad day, or we can wake up and have a joyful, happy, very good day. We get to choose. Today I have decided that today is a good day for a good day! This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Today, tomorrow, and the next day….they are all going to be great days thanks be to God!