"It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me, and I'm feelin' good."
Sing it, Michael Bublé or Nina Simone. Whomever you prefer, doesn't matter to me, because the lyrics are encouraging and the melody is jazzy and uplifting. Pretty much summarizes how I am feeling on this new day of life.
Silver linings are my thing. I am an optimist, a Pollyanna, Little Miss Sunshine. Perhaps that sickens you a bit, but I just don't think the world needs more despair and lamenting.
I'm not dismissing how tough life can be. Pain and hardships are all too real. I have close, dear friends who are right now trying to climb out of a valley of darkness. And I've been in those dark valleys myself. It's hard when it is so bleak, the mountains hovering like towering giants, blocking out the sun. But I know that the sun is shining beyond and there is a silver lining offering hope.
Getting out of that valley requires patience and faith. Choosing to seek peace and comfort and lifting it all up in prayer really work.
New dawns, new days have to start out with prayer in my life. I'm not an early bird by any means, but society requires that of us with few exceptions. "Pffflbt!" I say to ol' Ben Franklin and his aphorism. But I laugh when my 2-year-old pup sticks his face (barely) up by my bed to let me know it's time to begin the day. (He's a praiser.) Fuzz therapy comes first before I let him out in the backyard. Then I make my cup of coffee, wipe his paws to let him back in, and together we let the cat out. The cat HAS to be locked up. (He's a lamenter.) Deep in the middle of the night, he'll start yowling, "Where are you guys? Why are you sleeping?" Sometimes he snuggles with my son, but only if Luke doesn't feel as if Bond (Jameson Bond) won't lurk on top of the screened cage where his three-legged gerbil (that's a subsequent post) resides.
Kitty, Kitty Bond-Bond gets his fair share of scritches before I start a load of laundry. Even though both critters are ready for breakfast, I make them wait, because with the "sibling" rivalry between the two, I can't feed the cat first (downstairs where the washing machine is) before Oban and make the pup wait. So laundry first.
If it's still early and I don't need to wake my son, yet, I'll take my cup of coffee to my computer. Before I log in to email or Facebook or anyone's blog, I open up my most favorite website, YouVersion. If you're not familiar with it, it's an app available on smart phones as well as the computer, which provides a bajillion versions of the Bible. There are 40 translations in English. If English isn't your first language, you can read Scriptures in a multitude of other languages, including some I've never heard of: Achi, Chachi, Djambarrpuyngu to Հայերէն. YouVersion takes seriously the command to go out and preach the good news to all the nations.
The site has a plethora of studies a person can do. My goal is to "read" through the Bible every year. Last year, I "read" it chronologically. This year, I'm using a study through the English Standard Version (ESV) translation which is incorporating a format of me "reading" poetry (Psalms), the Law of Moses (Genesis), history (Chronicles) and the Gospel (Luke). If you're wondering why I keep putting "reading" in quotes, it's because I'm usually not reading. The ESV translation has been recorded by an actor, so he reads the Scriptures to me. I love it, because, it typically brings out nuances in the Word that I haven't focused on before. My favorite narrator is recorded on the NIV. I don't know his name, but he reminds me of Richard Burton. If you're not old enough to know who he is, go Google him.
Meditating on the word of God sets up my mind and heart to then pray. I do follow one of those acronyms (I prefer ACTS) that leads me through a way of praying.The A stands for acknowledge, which means you focus on who God is. The C is for confession, the T is for thanksgiving, and the S is for supplication (and petition), which is asking God for help for yourself or your friends and family to get through the day. Even though it is a time of asking, it's so much more than a kid's letter to Santa or a grocery list. During supplication the pray-er should come humbly before God. It is a time to move into a position where you recognize that God is the one in control.
I know that's a place many of us find uncomfortable. We're all control freaks to various degrees and don't want to relinquish that power. But I gotta tell you, the older I become, the more relieved I am to learn that I'm not in control of my life; God is. In truth, what's really happening is that my perspective about control is changing. After all, I've never been the one in control--as much as my mind or spirit has thought that.
Beginning my days reading the Word and praying sets a stage. I know that no matter what the day brings, even tragedy (which again I am not diminishing by my attitude), I can see the silver linings. And I feel good.
