Have you ever gotten up in the morning, looked outside and said "What a beautiful day!"?
This morning is like that. The sky is a cloudless blue with the Autumn sun glinting off the leaves on the trees. There is a gentle breeze blowing and the morning birds are waking the day with their song.
Nope. It doesn't get much better than this.
I love days like this, don't you? I could just sit outside and drink in the day. These kinds of days bring peace to my soul. The noise of everyday life fades away as I sit and enjoy the beauty. Ahhh.....
There are many opportunities for "beautiful days" in our lives. I've noticed, though, that when my life is filled with stress about very real problems or with imagined potential difficulties, I don't notice the "beautiful days." Stress and worry always seem to take center stage, playing their annoying monologues in my head, drowning out the possibility of a "beautiful day." The sky could be a cloudless blue with a perfect breeze, but I would miss it because I was too busy paying attention to the noise in my head.
It is hard to notice the beautiful day when the car has broken down, the bills are due, or a loved one is sick. It almost feels like a betrayal to focus on something other than what is obviously more important. But maybe I've been doing it wrong. What if I spent time, a moment or a morning, drinking in the beautiful day to restore my soul and give me peace? Would it help me to focus better on the people or things needing my attention if I was able to have that foundation of peace? It would certainly quiet the running "what if's" so that I could pay attention to the "here and now."
The "here and now" is all that we really have. Each moment should be lived to its fullest. There will always be difficulties in our lives. We can choose to live each moment, appreciate the beautiful days, and pray for grace for those days that are overwhelming.
I love a beautiful day! I pray that I pay better attention to the beautiful days God puts in my life. I'm going to work on living my life to its fullest and let Him help me on those days that are harder.
What kind of days are beautiful to you?
Seek them out...immerse yourself in them...find rest for your soul.
This is the day the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
