On this porch, to everything there is a season…
A time to sweep up wind-blown pollen and a time to sweep away wind-blown snow
A time to put up a Christmas tree and a time to set down some warm-weather seedlings
A time to listen to the sound of thunder and falling rain and a time to listen to the crinkling sound of snow against the screens
A time to eat a summer meal barefoot and a time to drink a steaming beverage in a hoodie
A time to savor a warm breeze on a summer evening and time to feel the roar of a winter gale
A time to hear all of creation awakening the dawn and a time to to hear the deafening silence of a January night..
A time to be grateful, and never a time to be ungrateful…
Of that last one, I often wondered why that is, until one day this week, a little early morning routine awakened a discovery.
Because on this porch, in every season, no matter the weather, the early morning routine begins by prying open eyelids, coffee mug in hand, and looking out into the woods, and thanking God for another day of “life and breath and everything else” and declaring regardless of current situation, mood or attitude one of the most common praises of them all: “This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.”
And the awakening was this: When the author of Psalm 118 first shouted that most common praises of them all, it wasn’t just to celebrate a fresh start, a new day, and “let’s go!”
He was celebrating gratitude in the midst of life’s daily trials, stresses and battles.
How no matter what was going on his world, he felt the Lord’s love that never quits
How in his moments of anguish and fear, when he cried out to God, even just “Help!,” He answered
How that he found even the best plans and systems and ideas of the world paled in comparison to knowing the smartest Man in the room
How that when surrounded by difficulties and perplexities and battles and a mile-long “to-do” list that “swarmed around me like bees,” he found order and victory and strength to carry on by declaring the unmatched power of the Name of the Lord over each and every one of them.
How that just when he thought he couldn’t take much more, the Lord came to his rescue and became “my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.”
How that somehow, he saw the day when the Savior of the world would come and turn history on its ear, so much so that it would become “marvelous in our eyes.”
And how because of all of that and so much more, no matter his disposition or whether he was feeling “up” or “down” with his Walk at the moment, he couldn’t help but celebrate that every day through thick and thin has been a gift, and that God has been in them and with him through them all.
And so he shouted:
“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!”
He’s been faithful in all the rest and He will be now...
Which may be why this porch, in every season, is my favorite room in the house.
It’s where each day begins.
It’s where after this week's awakening moment that, hopefully, I will not take the psalmist’s declaration for granted ever again.
Because in every season, every day is a time to grateful, and never a time to be ungrateful.
“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” — William Arthur Ward
No comments:
Post a Comment