Today is going to a great day! It has to be. All the bad ones are gone. All the dark depressive days that strangled the life out of me are no longer. Gone are those days that convinced me that I was nothing, could never be anything either. Gone are those days that suffocated my air of confidence, and depleted the oxygen of opportunity. No longer will I be forced into frustration. I will not be stalled into stagnation. I will not be knocked down or knocked out. I will not allow fear to consume me. Today, I will take charge of my time and will fill each and every moment with joy. Happiness will be my wakeup call because I have left sadness sleeping. There is no need to be silent because peace makes sounds in the chest that has a beat that you can dance to. Today I welcome the rain because it helps my flowers blossom. The storms are here to test the strength of my roots. Today nothing shall offend me. I need no one to defend me because I will fear no evil (Psalms 23:4). So come on Satan take your best shot. I know it's your job to break me down like Job. So the holes you placed in my soles are nothing because my soul is whole (Job 2:7). Satan, you cannot kill me, so your torture will only make me stronger. I choose to live out this day with a smile.
The Bible teaches that a little faith, as small as a mustard seed, has the power to make mountains fall and that nothing will be impossible (Matthew 17:20). If we as believers in Christ were truly to empower ourselves with this knowledge, the "bad" days in our lives would really have already ended. Often, we cry the same tears over the same things and call out for God's intervention over the same types of issues. It is a testament to His awesome grace that you have awakened this morning. It is a fact that He still has His hands on you because He has given you today. He has provided you with an opportunity to enact your faith that can no longer be accomplished in any yesterday, and may not be extended into tomorrow. We, as believers, often will not take full advantage to grow our faith. We often will be satisfied with as little faith as possible. We have faith that we will not fall when we bend our knees to sit in a chair. We have faith that the bridge will not crumble into the creek as we drive across it. We have faith that the elevator will lift us to our desired destination without crashing to the ground. And we have faith, as we walk across the ceiling on the floor above it, that it will not cave in below our feet. We are experts, even unconsciously, of having little faith.
Although Jesus spoke about this little faith in terms of it can do great things, I believe He intended for us to grow the mustard seed into great faith to do even greater things (Hebrews 11:39). Therefore, we needn't worry when the wind carries our dream home away during a tornado. Growing the mustard seed will have you weathering all the storms that come your way. We would suppress the depression that quickly rises as we witness our spouse shut the door of love during a divorce. Growing the mustard seed faith will have us turning to God in praise – not doubt – that He will still get the glory from our marriage. With the growth of our faith we wouldn't turn to alcohol, drugs, or overeating to comfort us during life's most tumultuous moments, such as getting fired, losing a limb or a child, going bankrupt, being a victim of violence, or falsely accused. That is why today we should shake off what we consider bad and activate our faith to make it a great day. But when the winds of anguish blow into our lives, when the levies of contentment break to flood our eyes with tears, and when the all-consuming fire of frustration make us white-hot with anger, we have a choice: growth or grief.
I have faith as small as a mustard seed. Today, I choose to plant it in the fertile soil of life's pain, and grow it. And it will be a great day – everyday a great day.
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for this day. Thank you for your Word that helps to empower my faith in You. Thank You for all that You do to turn my grief into growth, and my pain into promise. Thank You for sending Your Son as an example of trusting You with all of my heart. Lord, I know the trials that are in my life are meant to bring me closer to You, to purify my faith and rid my life of all doubt and worry. Please continue to work on me and through me. In Your Holy Name I pray. Amen.
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