Greetings in the name of God who gifts us with today!
This week I have paused to reflect on the gift of “today”; the gift of each day and the many present moments within it. In Psalm 118 the psalmist is reflecting on the faithful love of God that has endured through the history of God’s people. They recognize that the challenges of life persist, and that the continuing faithful love of God is so desperately needed. As the Psalm nears the end the Psalmist proclaims,
24 This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118)
This psalm and proclamation remind me that each day should be received as a gift from God. But let’s be honest, some days don’t feel at all like a gift. Far from it! We are tempted to rush through “this day” like an eager child opening all their birthday or Christmas gifts. Maybe the next one will be better and exactly what I asked for, or at least better than this one. But when we set the present gift of “this day” aside too quickly we may miss the blessing it too has for us.
The following quote from Henri Nouwen gives us much to ponder. As you ponder these words, I invite you to reflect on the gift of this day, and the present moment of your life.
Being patient is difficult. It is not just waiting until something happens over which we have no control: the arrival of the bus, the end of the rain, the return of a friend, the resolution of a conflict. Patience is not waiting passively until someone else does something. Patience asks us to live the moment to the fullest, to be completely present to the moment, to taste the here and now, to be where we are. When we are impatient, we try to get away from where we are. We behave as if the real thing will happen tomorrow, later, and somewhere else. Be patient and trust that the treasure you are looking for is hidden in the ground on which you stand.
May we by God’s grace be able to receive the treasure to be found in the place we are in this moment of our lives.
Pastor Ray