There is something extra special about today. If we are following our regular schedule, most things, people, and places are familiar to us because we have seen them before; we are accustomed to them. Yet it is this routineness and familiarity that often cause us to lose appreciation for today. Have you ever stopped to consider that it is a day like no other day? That is because though we may be familiar with all that is around us, we have never seen today. Yesterday was another day and so will be tomorrow and that makes today rather unique. Once the clock strikes midnight, it is gone and can never be reclaimed or relived. Therefore, it stands to reason that with each passing day we are writing and rewriting history. The things we say and do will be the legacy we leave behind.
But there are some wonderful consistencies that accompany each new day. We can borrow the words of the Psalmist when he declares, “This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24, KJV). Amidst the hustle and bustle of our day and the various challenges we have to deal with, we are often jaded to this reality. Being blessed enough to have woken up every morning for the number of years each of us has been around, it is easy to take today for granted. Each day is a gift from God, one to be celebrated, and like the Psalmist we too should rejoice and be glad in it.
Our obligation to have such an attitude to today becomes clearer when we realize “it is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). Not only are we beneficiaries of God’s mercies every morning, but of spiritual blessings as well. Psalm 68:19 reminds us, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.” In other words, we have been blessed “with all spiritual blessings, with an abundance of grace, as well as with temporal mercies, for which he is, and ought to be, praised day by day.” And just in case we are not aware, today we can see God all around us for “the heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world” (Psalm 19:1-4).
As you make your way through today, take some time to reflect on this wonderful gift. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow is nothing but a promise. The only “real” time we have is now. What attitude do you bring to it? Are you using it wisely? What legacy are you leaving behind?
