Psalm 118: Another Day...

- - - - - - - - - -

I overheard someone today respond to the typical question (more of a greeting I suppose) of 'how are you?' with the reply, "uh... another day". From the tone of his reply I could safely assume that the prospect of 'another day' was not a very exciting one (to put it mildly). His reply, and the attitude behind it, quite troubled me.

Today follows yesterday, tomorrow follows today. There will be a day after tomorrow and another day after that one. This is the way our lives are measured: in days. What a hardship it would be to face each day as if it were the just like the one before - each day like the previous one. This is the underlying premise of the man's response. What drudgery, what toil life would be if each day was like the previous (especially if the previous day was itself simply dreary toil).

The reality, though, is that each day is not simply a copy of the preceding one. Each day is a new creation with a history not yet written. Certainly we can decide to make today in the image of yesterday; we can create this repetitive daily drudgery. But the other option, the one that I advocate, is to recognize the opportunity that each new day provides. Each new day is filled with limitless potential. We have the choice regarding how we are going to respond to each day. Not every day will be a great day - yes, there will indeed be hard days - but thank God that there will be great days.

In Psalm 118 we find the psalmist recounting his hardships, his distress, the violence that threatened his life. We also find a strong proclamation of the aid that Yahweh (aka 'the LORD') has provided. The psalmist cried out to Yahweh for help and rescue came. Reading through this Psalm it is easy to see that the psalmist has indeed been through some hard times. Yesterday was a difficult one, today... today is another story. Today is a day of joy, today Yahweh has done marvelous things. Not surprisingly we read these words:

This is the day which the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

This is indeed the way in which I try to greet each new day. It seems to me that each day must be approached with a proper recognition of gratitude. I thank God each morning for the gift of waking up. Each breath in my lungs is a gift; the pillow under my head, the morning sun (or morning rain), the food I prepare for breakfast... these are all gifts. My continued life is an immeasurable gift. Each new day is a new chance, a new context for grace, a new opportunity to grow and learn. It is not the day before - it is not yesterday repeated. There will be no other day like today - it is an opportunity not to be missed.

I cringe when I hear people speak as if today is just more drudgery, as if time were a cyclical prison of successively identical days. I reject such lies. I celebrate today as the unique gift that it is.

- - - - - - - - - -