Rejoice And Be Glad In It

Hanging on the wall in my mother's kitchen was a framed square she had embroidered as a child: "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." The piece greeted us each morning as we came down to breakfast, to start a new day and blessed us each evening as we gathered for supper together. Over the years, it presided over many happy conversations about plans and dreams and gatherings with friends, weddings and births.

It was a silent sentinel during the harder times as well. My father was in Vietnam in 1956, and my mother stayed behind with us four children while he was gone. We moved many times, packing up, unpacking, resettling yet again. There were the rebellious, moody teenagers storming about, heated discussions that flamed into arguments. And days of grief when loved ones died. The reminder still hung over us on the wall, "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Now I have a home of my own, with grown children moving on to live their own lives. I often remember that Psalm I grew up with. When the sun rises on a fresh spring morning, or when I am surrounded by the strength and grandeur of the mountains, or catch an evening sunset that takes my breath away, it is easy for me to rejoice and be glad in it. Yes, this is the day that the Lord has made!

Sometimes it is harder to remember: on days when life is not going well, when the news is bleak or frightening, when the unknown is dark and threatening. One son is in the Army, and as I write this, I wonder where he will be when I read the Lenten Devotional. But here in this Psalm is wonderful reassurance that God is in control, that God is over and above and through all with us. This focus on gratitude keeps my life in perspective. God is love and will provide care and guidance through all of our days.

It is easy for me to get caught up in the daily schedule of life, the endless list of things that must be done. I have to remember to pause, to take the time to "Rejoice and be glad in it"; to worship and praise this ultimate power of Life, great Creator of all. Then the nagging worries of the day slip further away, and what seems unbearable becomes bearable. Then I can see my own life in a different light. I am not in control of everything, and I do not need to be. There is a power stronger and wiser than I am that is eternal and everlasting. My task is to learn to love as God loves and to live as God would have me live, and to know that, indeed, "This is the day that the Lord has made," and to rejoice and be glad in it.

— Susan Shearhouse

Courtesy of The Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist