Life is Good

Yesterday was a busy day. I had several appointments throughout the day leaving me running from one event to the next all day. I had a son want me to bring him lunch for the first time all year. I had two messages to prepare. I needed to squeeze in a work out before church started. As usual I taught our adults first and then taught our students. On top of all this I slept fitfully all night.

Yet, when I woke up on this Thursday morning I did so with an eagerness to start the day. I decided to make homemade biscuits for the boy's breakfast. I eagerly showered and got dressed. When I put my key into the lock of the office door it dawned on me how eager I was to get in and to get started. There are prayers to pray, scripture to study, planning to do, things to write, books to read and I am eager to do all of it.

Somedays I wake up so groggy I feel like I can barely function. Other days I wake up with alertness and ready to attack the day. What makes the difference? I think the answer can be found in [Eccl 2:24] "There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good. This also I have seen, that it is from the hand of God."

When I wake up groggy and wanting to pull the covers over my head I usually have lost focus. I can let my schedule or problems dominate my first waking thoughts. This tends to lead me to feeling overwhelmed and reluctant to start the day. I convince myself life is not good but hard and painful.

On the other hand when I woke up this morning at first I felt tired. I thought about crawling back into bed after taking Tucker to his early morning practice. Instead I started making breakfast. I woke the other boys up and we enjoyed the morning together before they went off to school and me to work. Today I enjoyed life. I enjoyed the mixing of the biscuits. I enjoyed the cooking of eggs and sausage. I enjoyed watching the boys eat, (all they left me were two biscuits.) I enjoyed seeing them off to school. The goodness of God surrounded me this morning just like every morning. I have good food to cook and eat with my family. I had a hot shower this morning. I had a choice of many different style of clothes to wear. I opted for jeans and boots. Life is good.

God gave each of us a life. It is my job to enjoy this life to the fullest and to make the most of it. I believe that my labor is not in vain. Not when I taught adults and students last night. Not when I got to talk to two sisters who will be celebrating baptism on January 6th. Not when I visited with adults and teens just getting a little closer to them. I do not labor in vain when I write. I have no idea who will read this and what impact it will have on a life. I write believing it will help someone along the way. Life is good. My work is good.

I get it. I know many of you are going through tough times. You know the things my family has to deal with. None of us has an easy road. We have burdens and concerns that weigh us down. We can still enjoy life. I have the opportunity to walk outside and notice the tree in the front yard. I can see the handiwork of God in that tree and look all around me and see creation and worship God. I can come into this office and could go through the motions or I can thank God for the cushioned chair I sit in. I can thank God for the computer I type these sentences on. I can thank God for the Bible laid open before me and for the bookshelves lined with books I get to read. I can thank God for adults who came to study the word of God last night and I can thank God for multitude of teenagers who come to laugh and learn week after week. Life is good. My work is good. With these I can be satisfied as I go through this day and life.

I can thank God for the meal I enjoyed with my wife at lunch yesterday. I can thank God for the woman I have shared the last twenty-one years of my life with finding a soul mate and a best friend. I can thank God for the recliner I sat in to relax after church last night and the time I had with Tanner watching his favorite NBA team. I can thank God for the workout I enjoyed with Taylor and Tanner after school and thank God for sleeping in a comfortable bed next to my college sweetheart. I can thank God for the hug I received from Turner as he stumbled into the kitchen this morning wrapped in his blanket. Life is good.

God has given so much in life to enjoy. Relationships. Creation. Worship. Bible study. Food. I could go on and on. When I wake up with the wonder of a child to begin a brand new day I know it is a gift of God. My life and labor are good. This makes me eager to start the day.