Start Your Day with a Psalm: Finding Purpose in Every Morning

your heart will beat about 100,000 times today in our last episode we talked about letting your light shine and each one of those heartbeats is a new chance to do just that this is the day that the lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it so what does that actually mean it's one of the most famous lines in the psalms one you've probably heard a 100 times but its power is easy to miss because it sounds so simple it sounds like a suggestion it's not it's a declaration followed by a command let's break it down first this is the day that the lord has made think about that word made this day

this specific tuesday this rainy wednesday this chaotic friday it wasn't an accident it didn't just happen it was crafted it was constructed with purpose just like a potter makes a bowl or a carpenter makes a table it has intention behind it here's what that means for you this morning it means that the next twenty four hours aren't just a random collection of events you have to survive the morning light the sound of the coffee maker even the traffic on your commute they are all part of a landscape that was made for you to exist in today when someone gives you a handmade gift you don't just toss it aside you hold it you look at

it you appreciate the work that went into it this day is that gift it's unique there will never be another one exactly like it the invitation here is to treat it with that level of care and attention to see the details not as obstacles or routines but as textures of a day that was made deliberately then comes the second part the response let us rejoice and be glad in it this is where it gets personal this isn't a request to feel happy it's not saying you have to ignore problems or pretend that everything is perfect joy and happiness are not the same thing happiness is a feeling an emotion that comes and goes with circumstances

but rejoicing rejoicing is an action it's a choice it's a verb it's something you do you can rejoice in a day that is also difficult you can be glad for the gift of life even when parts of that life are painful here's what that means for you in a practical sense when the first challenge of the day hits the tough email the unexpected bill the argument with a family member you have a choice you can let that challenge become the definition of your entire day or you can acknowledge the difficulty feel the frustration and then deliberately choose to find something to be glad for anyway maybe you rejoice that you have the strength to face

the problem maybe you're glad for the cup of tea in your hands that brings a moment of warmth maybe you rejoice in the simple profound fact that you are breathing the command isn't to deny the struggle the command is to not let the struggle have the final word you are invited to find a foothold for gladness no matter how small the verse holds these two truths together the day is a divine gift and our response to that gift is a conscious choice it reframes everything your day is no longer a checklist to be conquered or a minefield to be navigated it is a space to be inhabited a work of art you get to walk

through the frustrations are real the anxieties are valid but they are just clouds in a much much larger sky the sky itself is the gift so as you step into the hours ahead hold on to that this day was made it is a solid real and intentional thing your only task is to decide moment by moment to rejoice in it not because it's always easy but because it was made for you