Have you ever kept track of how many days have been spoiled by stress, worry, discord, and troubles?  If we were to mark a calendar for a year, I wonder how much of our time would be wasted by these negative emotions…

Yes, there are always going to be problems in this life, but they don’t need to dominate our days, for we have a source of life that transcends the troubles of the day-to-day.  We all know that there is a whole self-help industry that teaches people to rise above their problems, and many inspirational speakers make very nice livings giving these pep-talks, but our source is so much greater than mere “techniques” to diminish stress.  Here’s a thought that has really helped me over the years:

This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

These are glorious words, and you might note that they point us toward a decision: “We will rejoice and be glad.”

It’s really about that simple, let’s decide to rejoice and be glad.  We realize, of course, that saying it doesn’t make it so, but since we would like to rejoice, it’s pretty amazing what happens when we think on things that would bring about rejoicing.  For example, when we pray early in the morning and begin with all of the things we have to be thankful for, that has a way of keeping our thinking on an even keel.  By this I mean that we tend to keep things in proper perspective more effectively when we remind ourselves that we have much to be thankful for, and these things are usually more important in the long run than the irritant of the moment.

When we continue to reflect upon the fact that we are actively engaged in relationship with Almighty God, the very God who created the universe and everything in it, the cares of this world seem to melt away.  This is not to say that they may not need our attention, but that they are fairly insignificant by comparison to the facts concerning our relationship with Christ.

The result is inner peace, a peace that can take us through the most difficult trials. So, I don’t know about you, but I think today should be a day of rejoicing!