The day is long and exhausting.
All I want to do at the end of it is to rest. And the end of it can be fairly late on. There’s the time invested in the workplace. There’s the quality time with the children. There’s the conversations with other loved ones. It is not a chore, but it is demanding and at the end it is just good to stop and rest.
As I stop and rest, it’s also worth reflecting. The way you end something means a lot. I truly believe that. The way you start something, however, can also help considerably with that ending thing.
Sometimes looking back on the day it can feel like I haven’t done as well as I’d like to. Maybe I messed up in one or two conversations. Maybe I ain’t happy about something and it takes a toll a little as the sunlight fades into the dark of night. Maybe I brood a little. Maybe those final words to God are sorrowful and mournful ones, both in apology for where I failed and in self-pity at my perception of my lot.
When that does happen, however, ther are those moments where in His love and kindness, God reminds me that the grace that is sufficient is not about condemning me for any failings. Whatever sunset of sorrow I may endure, He is there to remind me that there still remains a sunrise of opportunity. The past goes to sleep and there awakens a brand new present. A present where the same grace that gives me sleep wakes me and energises me to what can be and what will be in cooperation with Him.
Just as forgiveness is at hand as I go to sleep, so the opportunities arise to enjoy being forgiven and sharing that mercy with others. Just as goodness and mercy pursue me in the night, so it can be a blessing for others in the day.
There is no guarantee that every day will be a good one, but there’s something about having hope that the One who made the day can give us a reason to rejoice and be glad in it.
There’s something reassuring about knowing He can open our eyes to see the the sunrise of opportunities.
(Photo by Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash)
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 