First Day of the Rest of Your Life

Bleary eyed, before my first cup of coffee, I am opening facebook this morning to see what is, as Mark says, going on in the world of facebook.   As I scan through the status updates of friends from the night and very early morning.   I pause at what is more of a question than a status update as a friend ask on this Fall-like morning, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life, what are you going to do for Christ's sake?" 

An initial thought popped into my head and I almost responded to this friend with that response, but as I had not yet had my coffee and it was only six in the morning, I wanted to wait to answer until I was fully awake and ready to commit to what I might say I would do for Christ's sake today.  

Our morning routine took me away from my computer and away from facebook, but the question was hanging around in my mind as I was getting ready for the day.   In our rush out the door this morning for a before school errand, we jumped in the car and took off.   As is our custom, I hurry hurry hurried in order to complete my errand with time to spare, so we sat at the school for twenty minutes before the kids could be at school, not needed to be at school, but could BE at school. 

E asks, "What are we going to do now?" 

I know, I know son, I have caused you to hurry and now we have to wait...Again....Thank you for being patient with me, I think to myself.  

What I did during that time was to share with them something I had read yesterday morning that I didn't get a chance to share with them yesterday:

God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand.   I'm an open book to you; 

even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking.   

You know when I leave and when I get back; 

I'm never out of your sight.   

You know everything I'm going to say before I start the first sentence.  

 I look behind me and you're there, then up ahead 

and you're there, too-your reassuring presence, coming and going.   

This is too much, too wonderful-I can't take it all in!

Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? to be out of your sight?

   If I climb to the sky, you're there! If I go underground, you're there!   

If I flew on morning's wings to the far western horizon,  

You'd find me in a minute-you're already there waiting!   

Then I said to myself, "Oh, he even sees me in the dark! 

At night I'm immersed in the light!"  

 It's a fact: darkness isn't dark to you; night and day, 

darkness and light, they're all the same to you. 

(Psalm 139:1-12 Message) 

And then I read this to them: 

Thank God! He deserves your thanks. His love never quits.

Thank the God of all gods, His love never quits.

Thank the Lord of all lords. His love never quits.

Thank the miracle-working God, His love never quits.

The God whose skill formed the cosmos, His love never quits.

The God who laid out earth on ocean foundations, His love never quits.

The God who filled the skies with light, His love never quits.

The sun to watch over the day, His love never quits.

Moon and stars as guardians of the night, His love never quits.

...

God remembered us when we were down, His love never quits.

Rescued us from the trampling boot, His love never quits.

Takes care of everyone in time of need. His love never quits.

Thank God, who did it all! His love never quits! 

(Psalm 136: 1-9, 23-26 Message)

I looked up from the reading and said to both of my children, "You are loved."  

Addy responds, "And His love never quits."   

Of course this brings a smile to my face.   





I told them they were loved by God, by Daddy, by Mommy, and by grandparents, aunts & uncles, cousins, and friends..... they are loved and deeply loved.   


If you have seen the movie The Help, you will understand the reference point of my next statement to E and Addy.   Looking at their beautiful faces, I said: 

You are loved

You are smart

You are important

Aibileen tells Mae Mobley that she is kind, she is smart, and she is important.   Living in a house where her mother is preoccupied with her social life, Aibileen tries to instill a sense of purpose in Mae Mobley.   

If today is the first day of the rest of my life, for Christ's sake... My response has not changed from my first six a.m., pre-coffee, throught...


If today is the first day of the rest of my life, for Christ's sake, I want my children to know that they are loved, deeply.  Not only by Mark and I, and their extended family and friends...

I want them to know that they are deeply loved by a God who created them, and loves them so much that He is everywhere they are and that he won't let them be alone for a minute.