A DELIGHTFUL DAY

Today I want to tell you a story.

Last week my son came to my house in Omaha. He had a day off and wanted to do some Christmas shopping. Shortly after he left, I washed the sheets and re-made the bed, cleaned the bathrooms throughout the house, and did some light cleaning. I did not plan to do any more than re-making the bed, but one thing naturally flowed into the next. It was actually a delightful experience. If you have ever experienced a day like this, you will know why I use the word "delightful" to describe it. It took absolutely no effort on my part. It was like things progressed on their own — and it was enjoyable!

My story continues. In the afternoon, I prepared a casserole. It was a new recipe, so I did not realize how much it was going to make. Let it suffice to say — it made a LOT! I even said, "What am I going to do with all of this?" After it cooled, I proceeded to divide it up into single-serving containers in preparation for the freezer. Now it was about 5:30 p.m. 

Just as I was rejoicing about how the day progressed and how much I got done, my phone rang. It was my cousin who was traveling to Austin, Texas. She and a friend wanted to reach Wichita, Kansas for their first overnight stop. They got mixed up in their directions as they arrived in the Omaha area. It was getting dark. They were tired and needed to get off the road and start fresh in the morning. My cousin asked if they could stay overnight.

My automatic reply was, “Of course.” 

The GPS showed that they were less than ten minutes away. As I hung up the phone, I began to prepare when I realized that the beds were made, the house was in order, and the food was prepared. I had no idea that I was going to have company — but God did. He wanted to provide a pleasant place for them to be refreshed and renewed for their next day of travel. 

We had a lovely time over breakfast the following morning. Our conversation included sharing about the goodness of God in situations like this. 

Wouldn’t it be nice if things like this happened every day? Not long after this, a friend of mine experienced a day much like the one I just described. It is two weeks later, and we are still commenting on that peaceful, ordered day. Each of us had been applying the “30-Second Prayer” at the beginning of our day. It had become so ingrained in us that it was no longer committing each day to God, but instead, it had morphed into our plans continually surrendered to His.

Those of you who begin each day by having a meeting with God and praying our short and powerful commitment prayer may be experiencing peaceful, ordered days — the kind that you thank God for and the kind that stands out in your mind.

If you have not yet prayed this simple prayer, now is a great time to start!!

Father, I commit this day to You.

Cause my thoughts to agree with Your will—

So I know what to do!

And as we bring God into our plans, maybe — just maybe — He will surprise us with more peaceful and ordered days!!