Are you a morning person? Some of us aren't. Maybe for you, waking up and getting out of bed is a daily ordeal. But after you're fully alert, what's your mood? Do you have a spirit of thankfulness despite problems or afflictions you may have? Do you face the hours that lie ahead with confidence and expectancy?
I was challenged by the epitaph engraved on a tombstone in the Mackinac Island Cemetery in northern Michigan. Marking the grave of Virginia Verdier Allen, who died at the age of 57, are these words:
She never lost her sense of
wonder, approaching each day
as a surprise package
to be opened with enchantment.
Admittedly, life for even the most dedicated of God's people may be an ordeal of drudgery and difficulty. Circumstances may be hard and burdens may be heavy. But the Lord wants us to bring our cares to Him. The psalmist had the right idea when he said to God, "To You I will pray. My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up" (Ps. 5:2-3).
If we start each day with prayer, we'll be able to say with the psalmist, "This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" (118:24). — Vernon C. Grounds
Day by day and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,
I've no cause for worry or for fear. --Berg
Each day is a gift to be opened with prayer.