By Lois Hewitt

What a beautiful day!  It is truly the day the Lord has made!

When we, as Christians, say that, does it mean there is no pain, no strife, no hurt?  Of course not, the fallen world revolves around such things.

How easy is it to see only the lack in life?  To only feel the sickness?  To only be lonely?  To only see the injustice?

Humans like comfort and ease. Have you ever had a day where everything goes right and your heart is at peace.  You feel your blessings all around.  Oh how you wish it could always be like that. Nice and safe.

Unfortunately, those are fleeting moments. But why, you ask, why can’t it always be that way?  If you believe in Jesus as your Savior, that is the world yet to come.  But until then…

Many of us learn best when our feet are in the proverbial fire.  When the answer is no.  When our hearts are broken.

It is in those depths, we realize that working under our own power is futile. Our motivations are not pure.

It is in those depths, we forge compassion, empathy, courage and strength.  I do not know about you, but I don’t learn much in the ease of the perfect day, no matter how much I wish it to be so.

The changes in our lives come through the tears and heartache. Those things end complacency and fortify the internal fortitude that drives us to become better human beings.

A test?  The older I get the more I think it so.  In the fire, our true priorities surface.  Our true convictions. Our true self.  In past testing periods, I failed miserably as I realized the person I wanted to be was not who I was.  On the perfect day, it was easy to be that person I wanted to be.

In the days full of illness and chaos I came through ugly inside and out. It was only when I learned to embrace the hard days that I emerged better.

I clung to Jesus on those bad days. I prayed for strength to endure. I finally gave up my strangehold and submitted to Him.

That changed everything. Is every day perfect now? No way.  Am I exactly who I wish I was? No but I’m ever closer.

Today I allow myself, through my love for Jesus, to see more and more of the imperfect days as actually being perfect.

I see the blessings. I feel the gratitide.  I no longer what to take that perfection and squirrel it away only for me. I want to share with the world that it gets better, you get better.  It’s a lot about perception.

Humans tend to perceive their lack.  Humans involved in a real, living relationship with the true Lamb of God, perceive more peace (a learned experience), more joy (regardless of situations) and more growth which extends to others.  The situations may be the same but how you view them is different.

Today is the perfect day to meet with Jesus. He has been waiting for you. Whether you know Him or not, makes no difference.  He is always the same. He never changes. He is perfect love. Trust Him, He can change your life!

What a beautiful day!  It is truly the day the Lord has made!