Devotional.
I'm not sure about you, but I hate camping...
Thankfully, it's been years since I've had to go. The last time was probably when I was a teenager, and somewhere between then and now, I'd made a decision that the days of sleeping in a tent were behind me.
But some old friends invited me along, people I hadn't spent proper time with in far too long, and so I said yes.
And I immediately regretted it.
The day was lovely. It was so sunny. We walked, talked, took a dip in the hot tub, and had a lovely meal at a local pub.
But then it came time to go to bed.
It was cold, windy, and my allergies started playing up with all the long grass.
Earlier that day I'd nearly trodden on a huge snake next to my tent, and my nerves were still on edge.
I lay awake most of the night listening to the wind, trying to ignore the cold, and then when morning finally came, it came at 5am with the loudest chorus of birds I had absolutely no interest in hearing...
I dragged myself up and walked across the field to find the loo (toilet for my American friends). And somewhere on the way, I looked up.
The sky was doing something extraordinary.
Clouds lit from underneath, the kind of colors you don't expect to find in the middle of nowhere, the whole horizon putting on a display that had nothing to do with me or my plans or how badly I'd slept.
And I was furious. A strange response, I admit, to a beautiful sunrise. I generally think something has gone terribly wrong if I'm seeing a sunrise.
But as I was walking, God spoke to me in that moment.
I was grateful for that beautiful display. No one else was around to see it. Just me. Angry. But grateful.
Psalm 118:24 says, "This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it!" The Lord made that day too, the one that started at 5am in a cold field after no sleep, and He'd put something beautiful right at the start of it.
And I wonder if that's what gratitude looks like sometimes. Just stopping long enough to notice what God has put in front of me, even when I'm cold, tired and grumpy about it.
I know for some of you, what you're waking up to right now makes my bad night in a tent look like nothing. Somewhere far less scenic and far more difficult.
But the Lord made this day too, and I believe He has put something in it for you, however small, however hidden. You might just have to look up to find it.
I am grateful for today.
Prayer.
Lord, I am grateful for today, for this day specifically, for the gift of waking up, breathing, being alive right now in this moment.
Today is something I didn't earn and don't deserve, yet here it is, fresh and full of possibility, evidence of Your continued grace in my life.
Teach me not to waste today wishing for yesterday or waiting for tomorrow, but to be fully present, fully grateful, fully engaged with what You've given me right now.
I could spend today complaining about what's wrong, worrying about what's ahead, regretting what's behind, but instead I'm choosing gratitude for what is, for today itself.
Help me notice today's gifts instead of rushing past them, to see the small mercies scattered through ordinary hours, to recognize blessings I usually overlook in my hurry.
Remind me that yesterday is gone and tomorrow isn't promised, that today is the only day I actually have, and gratitude for it is the only gratitude I can practice right now.
Give me eyes that see reasons for thankfulness throughout this day, a heart that responds with appreciation, a spirit that celebrates the simple gift of being alive today.
Let gratitude shape how I live today, recognizing that I am grateful for today, for all it holds, for the God who gave it to me.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
