“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive — to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” ~ Marcus Aurelius
1. Oh, God, is it morning already?!
2. Dear God, thank you for my life today!
Which of the above two statements best summarizes your typical act of waking up in the morning? Do you dread the day from its very beginning or do you look at the new day that has been given to you as a wonderful gift? It is important to reflect upon that because, the answer will point to the way we look at the remainder of the day.
If our day begins with a generalized complaint, we are not as prone to find anything positive about the day as it unfolds. Rather, we will take a “see, I told you” kind of attitude as any little thing goes wrong with our day. On the other hand, if we wake up and are immediately thankful about the opportunity to be alive, we will see many little blessings in our day and respond accordingly.
God is not going to grab both sides of our head and point us in the direction of everything positive that He does for us each day. He asks us to look at what has been given to us and see the blessings that are within our days.
Do you find your day, generally, to be filled with negativity and disappointments? Perhaps it is because you began your day negative and disappointed. Do you find all sorts of mini-blessings in your day? It is most likely because you woke up with an attitude of thankfulness.
Do yourself a favor. Thank God for the gift that is and will be your day today. Then, try it again tomorrow. And tomorrow. And tomorrow. And…
FAITH ACTION: Make an attempt to begin each morning with a short litany of thankfulness and praise. Let God know that you appreciate the gift of a new day.