Our feet touch upon a new day, sometimes with calloused soles or tender aches.
We press onward upon a road that will take 24 hours to complete, with no guarantee that we will see the finish line.
Time is doled out blink by blink, no matter our level of education, dedication, or intentionality.
Our vision is far too restricted to attempt to navigate days outside of our reach, despite our incessant desire to control destiny.
Oftentimes, we hardly see beyond ourselves, except to judge.
We are excellent critics, even of ourselves.
We are also notorious robbers, stealing from today by ruminating over yesterday or borrowing tomorrow’s troubles.
Love. Loss. Disappointment. Desire. Frustration. Fear. Exhaustion. Elation. Rest. Rebirth.
All of it… all of life… occurs in singular moments.
Some experiences are fleeting and soon forgotten; others rise and descend in one fell swoop, knocking us to our knees. Still others appear to float between reality and imagination; we are skilled in manipulating everything, from ambiance to authenticity.
Trials and tiredness can drain the fullness of a minute, depleting the succulence of possibility, leaving the dryness of routine and responsibility.
How many have forgotten how sweet life can taste?
Exhaustion often escorts day into night, month to month, year to year.
Yet, we must remember time itself has an echo.
The message we put into today will be the melody we dance to tomorrow.
We are not a solo act, even if we do not have a dance partner.
We hear our ancestors speak through worn-told stories. We carry upon us skin tones, shapes, and distinctions that mark us as someone born from connection.
Beyond what is tangible, we continue to grow spiritually, being pruned by the Lord.
DNA is only part of our design. The artistry comes from living into who God created us to be.
Yet, many people allow life to be drawn upon them rather than learning the art of living, loving, and letting go.
We constrain our gratitude and freely give our complaints. Both are aplenty; yet, by our focus, we birth patterns of pain or pleasure.
We conjecture and fret rather than put our concerns into prayer.
I am the guiltiest of all… weaving worries into a blanket that weighs me down.
I rethink what I could have done differently — how I could have taken better care of myself and others. How I could have been less in my own thoughts and more in the presence of the Lord.
My feet touch upon a new day with calloused soles and tender aches.
I press onward upon a road that will take 24 hours to complete, with no guarantee that I will see the finish line.
Yet, I am certain the greatest finish line will be when I run into the arms of Jesus.
So why do I fill so much time with thoughts that attempt to deplete my well of joy?
Why is it so difficult for Believers to discipline their mind, body, and heart so they are more alive in the Lord than exhausted by this world?
Perhaps I am both, and this cognitive dissonance can sometimes affect me.
I must daily and intentionally return to my first love, Jesus, so that I am nourished by that which is everlasting versus temporal.
I challenge myself as well as you, dear friend, to greet each day with praise and purpose that cannot be derailed by circumstance.
After all, we are only responsible for living one moment at a time. May we do so with God’s strength, grace, and joy.
In this, even when we are exhausted and life appears a bit unkept, we can move forward in faith and fervor toward the keeper of our souls, the One who offers healing and wholeness this world cannot sell, buy, or steal.
Here’s to the day worth rejoicing: Today.
“This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).
Rooted in faith, growing in Christ. Always.
This column was initially published by CherryRoad Media. For more inspirational articles, follow ©Tiffany Kaye Chartier.