Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Good Morning!

Some people are genuine morning people. They open their eyes before the alarm goes off and quickly their feet are on the floor. They greet their spouse, their children, and their pets with smiles, laughter, and exclamations of "Good Morning!" spoken as if it is a statement of fact more than a profunctory phrase of greeting.

As you might expect, I am not one of those people. I am more of the "Wha'", hit the snooze button, head-under-pillow, don't-speak-to-me types of persons. I can use the phrase "Good Morning" as a statement of fact, but usually that would not occur until afternoon when the morning's activities can be accounted and evaluated.

But when I lay aside my desire to sleep in and consider the new day realistically, I must admit that it is not only a "Good Morning," it is also a "Good Day." Why would I say that? Because that is what the Bible states. The Psalmist wrote "This is the day Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm118:24 NIV) That puts a whole different perspective on the morning and the day. God has created a period of time that we have labeled in terms of seconds, minutes, and hours. His purpose in creating this day was not to give me a forum for complaining or whining but rather to give me a time period in which to rejoice.

What will I rejoice about today? Well, for certain I rejoice that the same God who made the day, made me and loves me. I rejoice that I have a family in which love and acceptance are at the top of who we are and what we do. And I also rejoice that I have a job that I greatly enjoy and am privileged to work with some of the finest people God ever made.

Is my life perfect - absolutely not? I make enough mistakes in a normal day to convince anyone that I am not perfect. My life has bumps and mountains that take the form of aging parents; illnesses that will not go away in the lives of some family members; the usual struggle of more month than money; and the uncontrollables that affect friends and family equally.

When I really consider the day and lay aside my slow response to the morning, I must state with conviction and as a fact - GOOD MORNING!