Each Day...

To restart my blog I want to share with you from one of my favorite authors.  Max Lucado has written amazing books that I highly recommend to anyone!  One of my favorite pieces of his has inspired me beyond words!  I hope you get a lot out of it as well!  It's called "Each Day..."

It's quiet. It’s early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming.

In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met.

     For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I’m free to choose. And so I choose.

I CHOOSE LOVE

No occasion justifies hatred;

 no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. 

Today I will love God and what God loves.

I CHOOSE JOY

I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. 

I will refuse the temptation to be cynical . . . 

the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see 

people as anything less than human 

beings, created by God. 

I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than

 an opportunity to see God.

I CHOOSE PEACE

I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I CHOOSE PATIENCE

I will overlook the inconveniences 

of the world. Instead of 

cursing the one who takes my place, 

I’ll invite him to do so. 

Rather than complain that the wait is too long, 

I will thank God for a moment to pray. 

Instead of clinching my fist 

at new assignments, I will face

 them with joy and courage.

I CHOOSE KINDNESS

I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. 

Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. 

And kind to the unkind, 

for such is how God has treated me.

I CHOOSE GOODNESS

I will go without a dollar before 

I take a dishonest one. 

I will be overlooked before I will boast. 

I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.

I CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS 

Today I will keep my promises. 

My debtors will not regret their 

trust. My associates will not 

question my word. My wife will not question my love. 

And my children will never fear that 

their father will not come home.

I CHOOSES GENTLENESS

Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. 

If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. 

If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. 

If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I CHOOSES SELF-CONTROL

I am a spiritual being.... 

After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. 

I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. 

I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. 

I will be impassioned only by my faith. 

I will be influenced only by God. 

I will be taught only by Christ. 

I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, 

goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-

control. To these I commit my day. 

If I succeed, I will give thanks. 

If I fail, I will seek his grace.

 And then, when this day is done, 

I will place my head on my pillow 

and rest.

~When God Whispers Your Name 

Max Lucado