This is the day…
Sometimes, “being seen” is a little uncomfortable. I experienced that discomfort sometime back after listening to someone decrying the prevalence of smartphone usage. It was probably Simon Sinek or Jonathan Haidt, but it could have been someone else, I don’t remember. Whoever it was lamented that we keep our phones right beside our bed and reach for them upon waking, before we do or think of anything else, immediately diverting our thoughts to whatever we read in our email or social feeds or whatever. Yeah, feeling seen. :/
The next morning, as my hand stretched toward my phone, I stopped myself and thought I should first try to have a coherent, independent thought, for Pete’s sake! The song “This Is the Day” came to my mind. I lay there and sang it in my head, trying to pay attention to the words. It’s a simple, almost child-like song, but a good one, deeper than you think, especially for starting the day with, right? I like the reminder that this day I am beginning belongs to the Lord. My whole life does. And a big part of my job is to “rejoice and be glad in it.” How great is that?
I know I don’t and won’t wake up every day feeling “happy-clappy,” glad that everything is perfect, but it makes me think of joy. James says, “Count it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you meet trials of various kinds…” At its most basic, simple meaning, to me, joy is the deep, abiding, everlasting knowledge in my heart and mind that God loves me. That Jesus is with me. Always.
That simple song, with the simple injunction to “rejoice and be glad” in the upcoming day the Lord has given me, is a wonderful way to start my day. Sometimes, I sing the song in my head and don’t put a lot of thought into it, but sometimes, it leads me to consider what is coming up that day and how I can live it with Jesus at my side. I think I’ve written before that I love Barbara Brown Taylor’s description of her “job” in life:
“In every circumstance, regardless of the outcome, the main thing Jesus has asked me to do is to love God and my neighbor as religiously as I love myself. The minute I have that handled, I will ask for my next assignment. For now, my hands are full.” (Page 119, Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others, Kindle, HarperOne, 2019)
This song, “This is the Day,” reminds me of my main job: “Love God and my neighbor as religiously as I love myself.” How will I do that today, with Jesus at my side, knowing in my heart and mind the joy that God loves me always?