Nicole’s e-Pistle

September 11, 2024

Hello, Friends!

“God had infinite time to give us; but how did He give it? In one immense tract of a lazy millennium? No, but He cut it up into a neat succession of new mornings, and, with each, therefore, a new idea, new inventions, and new applications.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

It seems like every day I am reminded how fleeting time is! Endless to-do lists and watching children growing right before my eyes. There are times I cannot help but feel overwhelmed. I used to think that some day I would retire and would finally have time to relax, but the more I talk to folks who are retired, I realize it is just a different kind of busy.

One thing I love about mornings is the promise of a new day – a blank slate waiting to be filled. Each new sunrise brings with it the chance to start fresh. It’s as though going to sleep and waking up is a reset button on life. I think that is why the author of Lamentations said, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lam 3:22-23).

I also love the prayer written by an unknown author that says, “Dear Lord, so far, I’ve done all right. I haven’t gossiped, haven’t lost my temper, haven’t been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or overindulgent. I’m really glad about that… But in a few minutes, God, I’m going to get out of bed. And from then on, I’m going to need a lot more help.”

(Last one…) A book I read a long time ago by Spencer Johnson said that today is a new day. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow has not yet come. Today is all we have. It is a gift. That’s why it is called the present.

What will you choose to do with your time today? Will you allow yourself to feel bogged down in the things that didn’t get finished yesterday? Will you spend time worrying about what needs to be done tomorrow? Or will you take a moment to feel the newness of God’s love for you? Will you find time to simply be still and know that God is God – yesterday, today, and tomorrow? God’s mercies are new every morning, and every day is another chance to live into who you are as a child of God.

So go ahead, revel in the gift of the present!