A New Day
by Sherry Bitler
Today’s Treasure
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV
My husband slept deeply, as I lay beside him with no hope of returning to sleep. I decide to get out of bed, snuggle into my robe, and head into the living room. Everything is dark – and very still. The dog follows me and heads immediately into her bed beside my desk. My task-oriented personality immediately begs me to think of something I can do in the quiet and the dark. I want my husband to sleep as long as he needs.
The computer wins my attention. As I press a key or two, I glimpse out the window. Sunrise is still some time away. The clouds are unique this morning. Interesting to me that they can be so different each day, color varies, shapes vary. I wonder if God has a specific reason for why they look the way they do on any certain morning.
I go back to the keyboard, but the view outside of the window grabs my attention. The sky is beginning to change. Rays from the sun must be slowly approaching, but for the most part, the stillness remains. Suddenly, the sound of a car outside breaks the silence, my mind wanders back to what needs to be accomplished. A specific Scripture breaks through my mental distractions:
Be still and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10 ESV
It strikes me, God is in Heaven and He knows exactly what this day will hold for me. It felt sacred. In these few fleeting moments, my heart captures the miracle of creation. The sun bursts out with confidence, and the beginning of a new day arises. For me, the agenda for this day predicts ordinary. For many others it may herald the beginning of a new chapter in their lives; maybe a miracle, maybe the birth of a child, maybe saying goodbye to a loved one, maybe the end, or maybe the beginning of something extraordinary in their lives. There are thousands of maybes, and our God is watching over all of them. He is in charge of all of them. It is an awesome thought!
Take time! Take time to stop and look at the beauty around you. When I was healthy, before being diagnosed with MS, I worked hard, and I accomplished a lot. After my diagnosis, life changed, I had to slow down. I listen more, and I experience more of what is happening around me. I don’t take as much for granted. I have realized I need to go back to the basics. I have learned that I need to keep life simple, to keep goals simple, to remember God is in control, that He is in the basics, and He is the truth for my life.
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.
Isaiah 26:3 NIV
I am totally overwhelmed by the realization as I sit here, looking at this view, that our home is positioned so that I can watch the sun come up over the horizon. God knew when we purchased this home that I would have the privilege to see this sunrise, a view that reminds me I can rest in His promise of this new day, that His mercies are new every morning, and His faithfulness to me is great. I am in awe of His love for me in this simple, yet incredible gift.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
The pace of life often has us moving from one thing to another, making it easy to take for granted all that is around us. I may complain that I can’t find the time for this or that, but the truth is, we all find time for things that are most important to us. Don’t let life get that busy. Remember the basics, keep life simple, keep goals simple, keep your relationship to God the priority.
I want to make time to experience the awe in Creation, even if for only a few moments, for I know that those moments will trigger my awe for the Creator. Isn’t it great to be in the presence of someone who is excited and joyful about what is going on in their day? I want to be that kind of person to those around me.
PRAYER
Lord, please forgive me when I take Your gifts to me for granted. Teach me to enjoy the moments of awe in each day. Through Jesus, help me to enter this day together with You. Thank you forour beautiful sunrise; may it serve as a reminder to me that I want to be living each day gratefully.
Sherry Bitler is the founder of a local traditional Christian School, a home school cooperative school, and a summer program for children at a popular Christian Conference Center. She is spiritual mother to hundreds of young women. Challenged by her daughter-in-law, she began writing a blog, The Grateful Grammie, several years ago as part of her legacy to her grandchildren. She loves time with her husband of 47 years, their four children, their spouses, and twelve grandchildren. Sherry shares more about living with Multiple Sclerosis in this interview: When MS is Your Constant Companion.
STORE UP MORE TREASURES
At some point in our lives, we or someone we know will go through great suffering. I encourage you to go the MARKINC website and listen to the interview “Heroin Addiction: There is Hope" so that you can store up treasures of encouragement for the next rainy day in your life or someone else's. Here is a summary and teaser of this resource:
It’s an epidemic that knows no cultural, age, race, or financial boundaries. Why does an addict continue to use heroin when they know it’s destroying their life? Why is it so hard to break the chains of addiction? Is relapse a normal part of an addict’s journey? We ask these questions and more. It’s our desire that those who hear this interview will know there is hope in the darkest corners of addiction.
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Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@gmail.com.