Listen

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I’m still alive. Let my praise be pleasing to him; I’m rejoicing in the Lord!

But let my whole being bless the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Psalm 104:33-34, 35b

Think

Have you ever had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day? I did recently. Nothing went right. My computer was broken. My cat accidentally got a bag caught on his head (he’s fine), and his sibling cat went missing. I could not see anything positive.

Then I paused for my quiet time. I have a practice of starting my devotional time with listing seven things I’m grateful for. It’s a practice I’ve been doing all year. When I stopped to make my list, I realized that while it was a hard day—there were glimmers of hope. Slowly my frustration melted to gratitude. I gave thanks to God for the computer tech, my neighbors who helped me look for the cat, finding the cat, and freeing the other cat from the bag. I didn’t start out the day wanting to sing praise to God as long as I live, but I was able to pause and end the day there.

Susan Sytsma Bratt

Question to Ponder:

What are you grateful for today?

Pray

Gracious God, thank you for the gift of today. May I have eyes to see you at work, ears to hear your voice, and hands willing to reach out in service. Amen.

Go

God, give us eyes to see the wideness of your world, shimmering with beauty and holiness.

Stimulate our imaginations, infusing us with courage and hope.

Surround us with friendship.

Plant us as seeds of resurrection.

Amen.

Peterson Center for Christian Imagination