Preset Perspective

November 23, 2020

This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 NLT

If we are honest with ourselves, we would have to admit that many of us are preset to a negative perspective. “The weather is going to be bad. I bet tomorrow is going to be lousy.” Like the country song, the most positivity we can show is, “Lord, I hope this day is good!”

But David nailed it. He preset his attitude to positive faith and thanksgiving. On an ordinary day, David awakened with the idea that because today was a day God had made for him, he could proactively rejoice and be glad in it. Did that mean nothing difficult or bad would ever happen? No. He had hard times, days where he wept, felt fear, anger, and all the emotions we have. But his emotions did not determine whether or not God was good or in control. He had already made up his mind that he would focus on the goodness of God regardless.

We have much to be grateful for in this life each and every day that God has made. The reality of constant life demands, struggles, and worries wake us up defeated too often instead of starting the day with a heart of gratitude and thanksgiving. Or we have good intentions, but in the midst of the busyness and pressure, pausing and acknowledging the goodness of God and how great it is to be alive just passes us.

Sometimes it truly is a sacrifice to stop and offer praise and thanksgiving. If we let our emotions rule us, we will quite often have reasons to be down. We’re struggling. We're weary. We may even feel like God let us down. He’s distant; He doesn’t really care. We think God doesn't really care about what's troubling us.

But here’s what can make a lasting difference. We have a choice, every day, to give Him thanks. We can choose every single day to start with the affirmation that God has made this day, and He will walk with us through every moment. With our preset perspective, we begin even hard days by realizing that no matter what, God does more than just work to change our situations. He changes our hearts. His power releases the grip a hard day has on us. When we pre-decide to rejoice and be glad in who He is, we're strengthened by peace, and refueled by His joy.

• Pray: Jesus, I recognize that I don’t have to be ruled by my emotions. Gratitude is the healthiest emotion, and I can pre-decide to trust You, no matter what. That way I can have a good day, no matter what. Help me start that direction today. Amen.