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“This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” - Psalm 118:24

Over the holiday weekend, my family and I spent time at Thomas Lake near Ashland, NE.  Every morning while most of the family was sleeping, I would take a paddle board out and paddle across the still water.  Early morning is my favorite time and even though it was a bit chilly, I love that quiet, peaceful time to watch the heron looking for breakfast, the fish jumping clear out of the water (why do they do that?), and the colors of the sky gradually changing with the rising sun.  

As I was enjoying the beauty of God’s creation, a song from my childhood popped into my head based on Psalm 118:24.  I bopped along on my paddle board singing quietly about the day God made and how glad I was.  It’s a cheesy song that, at times, can sound a bit naive and maybe even like toxic-positivity - claiming that I WILL rejoice and be glad doesn’t always feel appropriate when the circumstances aren’t joyful.  But the author of Psalm 118 is not writing from some peaceful vacation.  Instead, the author is writing with the joy of relief, having survived terrible hardship and struggles.  They are giving thanks to God for a new day.  They are grateful for God’s presence with them during the hard times and putting their trust in God’s continued presence through whatever lies ahead.  

It is definitely easier to remember to be grateful on a beautiful morning at the lake.  In fact, I think we need those moments of quiet beauty and respite to help us stay grounded in gratitude.  Practicing gratitude during good times - practicing giving thanks and rejoicing in the gifts of life - gives us the skill and ability to lean into that same gratitude during harder times.  It enables us to notice the small gifts of kindness, rest, beauty, and love that occur even during the hardest times in our lives.  

That song from my childhood is not just a song for a happy day, it is a song that calls us to acknowledge the gift of EACH new day and to the spiritual practice of gratitude - thanking God for the gift of life and for God’s continued presence with us through whatever the day will bring.