Some mornings I wake up and wonder, “How will I find time for You, today, God?” There’s a slew of emails and texts to respond to, not to mention checks to write, and the anxious, overwhelming feeling that we’re not going to have enough to get through the month, let alone the year. Where’s God in all of that?
Then I remember: this is exactly where God wants to meet us and where we can meet the Lord. In the very midst of our busyness. As the Psalmist said, “This is the day the Lord has made: we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). Every day is worth celebrating, even ones when you get up on the wrong side of the bed. Here’s how to keep your day focused on God:
1) Put God at the top of the list. Before you pick up the paper (or log on) and read fear-making headlines or before you send that text or email or become immersed in social media, FaceTime with God. With Jesus. Sit for a moment in silence (while the coffee’s brewing). “God,” you say, “I’m here.”
2) Pick a word. Give yourself an inspiring word you can call on throughout the day: hope, love, compassion, courage, understanding, forgiveness, faith, goodness. It’ll be your message to yourself. It’s a reminder that as you cross off the little things on your to-do list, big things have not been forgotten.
3) Stay in the present. Circle back to what you are doing now. Emptying the dishwasher, pouring yourself some coffee, reading a message from a friend. Feel the joy of now. After all, this is the day the Lord has made.
4) Forget about multi-tasking. We like to think we’re being efficient, doing two things at once. The risk is that we do neither of them well as our mind wanders in a million different directions. Don’t try to read that article (or this one!) while listening to your friend on the phone. Your friend needs and deserves all your attention, one hundred percent of it. So does that dish you need to wash.
5) Find joy in little things. Like washing that dirty dish. Feel the splash of the water under your fingers, watch the soap bubble up from the sponge, note the smudges that disappear, watch the clear water circle into the drain. You might put it in a drying rack, letting the air breathe through it, or wipe it with a towel. Either way, think what you have accomplished. What was dirty is clean.
6) Give thanks. To give thanks to God, even for the smallest things, is to remind ourselves of the primary relationship in our lives. What we have comes from God. What we share belongs to God. What we fear, what overwhelms us, can be given to God.
7) “Make each day your masterpiece.” Those words aren’t mine. They come from legendary basketball coach John Wooden. All the elements are at your fingertips. No need for buckets of silver and gold. Paint with the joy from your heart. Today, this will be your masterpiece. This is the day the Lord has made.
