This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
It has become habit to start my day off saying this verse out loud. Not just to myself — no. Just before my daughter heads out the door to school, my husband and I hug her and all three of us declare, “This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
By saying this Scripture verse out loud, by saying it together, we are setting our hearts and minds on several different things. We’re focusing on:
- today — Now. And just today because, yes, today has enough worries of its own. (Matthew 6:34)
- the Lord — God created not only today, but also created each one of us. And we can trust Him with the circumstances we will face today
- joy and gladness — We might as well choose a positive attitude early on, right? We know our attitudes are going to take some hits as the day goes on, but we will start the day choosing to rejoice and be glad.
The fun thing is, this habit of declaring Psalm 118:24 has spilled over into other areas of my life. When my walking partner, Mary, and I finish our walks, one of us will say, “This is the day the Lord has made” and the other one of us will reply, “We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Sometimes we mean it with all our hearts … and sometimes we are reminding each other that we will choose to rejoice and be glad, despite the heaviness in our hearts.
In Your Words: What truth(s) do your declare to yourself on a daily basis? Are they intentional or accidental?
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Comments 8
Interesting that you brought this up today. I ran into one yesterday.
The life you despise is someone else’s unattainable dream.
Certainly an answer to my irritation with pain, fatigue, and the inconvenience of regularly puking blood, but beyond this…our society teaches and inculcates dissatisfaction.
And there’s a world out there in which the problems of a slow internet connection are as less than nothing.
And the question asked of Christ is not “please make me happy”, but “I believe in You…but where are You?”
I wish appreciation were taught instead.
Author
Andrew:
As is so often true, I thought of you as I wrote today’s post.
I can’t imagine the road you walk day by day, minute by minute. And yet, you continue to walk it. Continue to be brave, to be you. To choose to live your life — even if it is not what you’d hoped it would be.
Continuing to pray for you.
Beth, such a great post, and perspective. I LOVE that you say this verse together as a family. I wish I had thought to do something like this years ago with our boys. 🙂 It’s such a great perspective adjuster.
One truth that I remind myself of almost on a daily basis is that I am loved. I am God’s girl. This reminder helps me when I want to beat myself up for a failing. Or when I’m struggling with feelings of being “less than.” I’m His girl, and that’s more than enough.
Great post!
Author
Love the truth that you hang on to, Jeanne. It’s a vital one that we need to know, deep in our hearts.
I have a song in my head, A LOT of the time…
Christowan wasinchepi usumach usi, usumach usi, usumach usi,
Christowan wasinchepi usumach usi, ay sumach usi.
“With Jesus in the family, happy, happy home. (3X)
Yes, with Jesus, a happy home.”
I sing that all the time, and I love the little tune.
It’s Bolivian Quechua.
Author
That is a lovely song — thank you for the translation.
And the truth is: It’s not a perfect home, but there is happiness in the imperfectness.
Still walking.
Ever since I heard the song Overwhelmed by big Daddy Weave, I find myself humming or singing it throughout my day. I especially repeat the line – God, I run into Your arms Unafraid because of mercy; I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You.