Be Present: Today

"What day is it?"
"It's today," squeaked Piglet.
"My favorite day," said Pooh.  –A. A. Milne

When our daughter was still very young, she loved Winnie the Pooh.  Her childhood days were filled with wonder and play.  Every person had the potential of being a new friend, and if they were just her size, she was eager to see if they wanted to be playmates.  Playing house only required imagination and a willingness on my part to sit on a miniature chair as she prepared plastic vegetables for dinner.

Over the years, I’ve grown fond of looking for stuffed toy “Winnie the Poohs” for her as I travel and minister—Partly because the Dad DNA in me is inclined to spoil her, and partly because it reminds me of the days when Pooh was as real as neighbors, summers seemed to linger forever, and school was some day when she “grew up.”

Those “todays” seem long ago.

Today, our schedule is packed full of demands and deadlines.  Between my church commitments, my wife’s 12-hour shifts at the NICU, and our daughter’s academic responsibilities, sports rehab, and extracurricular activities, it sometimes feels like today’s a too-small-carry-on-packed-too-full-to-fit in the overhead compartment.

My iPhone, and iCal, and MacBook Pro aren’t synced well enough for me to optimally track my appointments, my wife’s work schedule, and the various activities at the academy for my daughter. I sometimes feel like today gets lost in the scramble to go from one critical commitment to the next.

I miss the “today” of Winnie the Pooh and Piglet.

Not that I want to go back in time, but rather, that I can all too easily let “today” become a tool instead of a treasure.  Today can be made to take a toll instead of offer a twinkle.  If I’m not careful, today disappears in the deluge of the urgent—Too often, as of late, I’ve made today drudgery.

“This day belongs to the Lord!
    Let’s celebrate
    and be glad today.” –Psalm 118:24 [CEV]

In some ways, “today” is like the stuffed animal presents I would get my little girl during my travels.  Today is a gift.  Undeserved, unassuming, yet full of joy, and love, and imagination.  There are smiles to be had, moment’s brimming with gladness and celebration.  Today is stuffed with enough goodness to make it my favorite day.  Today can be like Winnie the Pooh and Piglet.

However in order to receive the present of today, I need to be present. . . today.

Encounter Prayer:

21 I praise the Lord
    for answering my prayers
    and saving me.
22 The stone that the builders
    tossed aside
    has now become
    the most important stone.

23 The Lord has done this,
    and it is amazing to us.
24 This day belongs to the Lord!
    Let’s celebrate
    and be glad today.
25 We’ll ask the Lord to save us!
    We’ll sincerely ask the Lord
    to let us win. Amen.

--Psalm 118:21-25 [CEV]

Much like my daughter's earliest years, today, GOD is calling you into a childlike faith, permitting you to see this day with the imagination of GOD-sized possibilities.  Our heavenly Father is always thinking of you, eager to give you gifts for no good reason.  His blessings happen in the unexpected moments of this day simply for the sake of His delight in you.  

But so unlike my earliest daddy years, GOD, your heavenly Father, is giving you so much more than an airport gift shop stuffed animal.  GOD is giving you the cornerstone of the world, Christ Jesus--He's giving you His favorite Son today, His favorite day.

May today be a gift to you from GOD, filled with all the wonder, celebration, and joy He intends.

Encounter the Word:

For a day in your courts is better
    than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of wickedness. –Psalm 84:10 [ESV]

Encounter:

• If you were to cultivate a childlike faith, what might you see today as a gift from GOD?
• Who might you share your "gifts" with today?
• How might you shape your days to start seeing each one as a gift?  What role might Christ Jesus play in the new shape of your day, today?