This is the Day

I've never been one to rush off to the next stage of my life. I was content to wait and enjoy life until I turned 13, got my driver's license, graduated high school, and everything else I have yet to do. I try my best to enjoy the time I have because I know I'll never get it back.

But the other day, I was walking to my car (a long way, by the way) after leaving class. And I realized that I wasn't enjoying the walk or the weather or any of it. I was just walking as fast as I could to make the time spent not doing something important as short as possible.

We talk a lot about wasting time. Don't watch YouTube for hours on end. Don't play games on your phone. Don't read anything that doesn't build you up. Don't just sit around not being productive.

And I don't disagree. I actually have a to-do list app on my phone so that, on days like today, I can see how much I still have to do so that I can feel overwhelmed and stop wasting time. Don't get me wrong: I waste a ton of time on things that really don't matter at all. (That's something God is having to work on in me)

But if you enjoy doing something (as long as it isn't taking the place of something you actually need to be doing), is it really a waste of time? Are there better things you could be doing than watching YouTube? Of course! But there is nothing wrong with enjoying even meaningless entertainment for a short amount of time occasionally.

Honestly, I think the bigger waste of time is when we are walking from the building to our car, driving to our next appointment, or counting the hours until the next thing we're going to do. God made every moment, so why do we enjoy some and discount all the rest?

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 188:24)

I see this verse hung as decoration in a lot of kitchens to be a reminder to take every day as a blessing. And when the sun is shining, your family and friends are around you, and your shoes feel great, it's not hard to rejoice. When something exciting happens, it's easy to say, "Thank you God for this day!" (That is, if we remember to do so.)

But what about the boring days. I'm not even going to talk about the bad days...what about the everyday, mundane, boring days? You get up, brush your teeth, go to school or work, come home, eat dinner, and go to bed so you can do the same thing tomorrow. How do we respond when absolutely nothing of circumstance happened today?

The first step is just to realize how much time you're not enjoying. I occasionally catch myself so wrapped up in where I'm going that I didn't notice any part of my drive. Or I'll be so bent on getting to my next class (which I'm already going to be early for) that I don't slow down and enjoy the sun and the wind and the feeling of walking.

And it make me sad, because then I wonder how many days of my life I have wished away over years of driving, walking, and waiting for something exciting to happen.

God's not just there in the mountains and valleys. He's there every single day, every single moment. Remember that rainy Sunday afternoon when all you wanted to do was take a nap? He made that. Remember that morning when you actually got out the door in time and the roads were just a little foggy? He made that day too. Remember the night when the moon was so bright and the sky so clear that it was almost as bright as day? God made that!

// I like this translation of the verse because it demonstrates that we have to make a conscious choice to be joyful in every day. It isn't something that just happens.//

















Take some time today to stop moving. Stop rushing. Stop wishing your life away. Look beyond the surface and see the beauty in the mundane. Not only will life get less boring, but you might actually begin to enjoy it.