How to Have a Good Day

Gold Brush Stroke

The assurance of a good day came clearly to mind. As I sprang out of bed, I laid it all out: I will edit uninterrupted all morning then have most of the afternoon to write, with time in late afternoon/evening to spend with my family—the makings of a perfectly good day. 

The only problem was having a good day depended on my behavior and the day’s circumstances, two things I have, at best, tenuous control over.

You would thing I’d have learned that by now. I write about my joy being anchored in the Lord. I talk often about surrendering my desires and dreams to Him. I pray for a loose grip on my plans. 

Still, when it comes right down to it, I believe I have a pretty good schedule for each day. I wake most days with a plan and a prayer—too often in that order. 

Maybe instead, prayer should be first. Maybe before we ever set a foot on our bedroom floor, we should offer up our day to God. Scripture talks about giving our firstfruits. 

Maybe before we ever set a foot on our bedroom floor, we should offer up our day to God. Click To Tweet

“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops.” Proverbs 3:9

The Makings of a Good Day

Circumstances lose their control when we take them out of the equation for a “good” day. And our performance is certainly no guarantee of a successful anything.

Circumstances lose their control when we take them out of the equation for a 'good' day. Click To Tweet

What determines a good day is Who wrapped it, Who gifted it, and Who’s in it. Let’s give our day first to God. Let’s commit it, surrender it, offer it. 

What determines a good day is Who wrapped it, Who gifted it, and Who's in it. Click To Tweet

When we do that with our whole hearts, our whole beings, the day truly becomes an unknown treasure to discover, a mysterious present to unwrap. 

Then when a day takes an unexpected turn, like mine did today, we won’t be so likely to mistake the adventure for  an arduous journey. When our day has already been given to God to do with as He sees best, we are in a better position to look expectantly for the blessings that may be found crumpled in the day’s wrapping.

Giving our day to God puts us in a better position to notice the blessings crumpled in the day's wrapping. Click To Tweet

Because we know they’re there:

The hidden gifts

The gems of growth and refinement, joy and peace. 

This day, like each one before and after, is a gift, handmade with great love by the Creator Himself and given to me and you.

Tomorrow, and every tomorrow after, let’s begin the day by surrendering our expectations of it and embracing God’s plans for it.

After all the Lord knows, before we ever begin to unwrap it, the beauty that’s hidden within. 

The Lord knows, before we ever begin to unwrap it, the beauty that's hidden within each day. Click To Tweet

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

Reflections: How do you begin your day, with a focus on your plans or surrendering to God’s? 

Closing in on 4 years of counting and I’ve surpassed 4,000 gifts in Ann Voskamp’s Joy Dare! What a blessing! Here are numbers #4,122–4,142. Read my entire list by clicking here.

  • Doing life with my guy; First BLTs of the summer; Little grasshopper greeting me on my windshield as I drove up to our barn
  • Serving my family; Grocery shopping with my girl–what a treat (and I mean that, even if it requires extra patience!); Reconnecting with an old friend
  • Spending the entire day with Daniel; Napping on the 19th floor of the Mayo Building; Receiving a text showing Rach having fun
  • Morning quiet time in a favorite space; Fun afternoon in the river — and we all got wet!; Delicate beauty of the butterfly
  • Enjoying one of my favorite hobbies (tennis) with one of my favorite guys (Danny); Garden veggies picked; A shower after a hot, sweaty day (too easily taken for granted)
  • Meeting Mary DeMuth and being challenged and encouraged by her message; Catching up with a couple of friends and making new ones at the ReNEWed Life Women’s Event in Cresco, Iowa; Trillion twinkling stars
  • Working alongside the boys to finally weed the garden; Cooling down a hot day with fudge-swirl milkshakes; Snuggling in for a rare movie together

 

By His Grace,

Julie

2 Comments

  1. Aritha / Jedidja on August 18, 2015 at 3:14 am

    Thank you very much. I’ve tweet oneof you quotes. Have a blessed day!

  2. Cecelia Lester (Quiet Spirit) on August 18, 2015 at 12:12 pm

    Julie: Good Message. Today started out slowly. I found myself singing, “Rise, Shine, Give God glory” My alarm didn’t go off at my prefered time-I set it again for an hur later. once I started hearing those words, I felt more awake and ready to meet my day.

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Julie Sunne

Hello, I'm Julie, an imperfect wife and mother of four. Life in this broken world is not always easy. Yet, joy can be found in each day through the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I find it's easy for our day's blessings to get lost in its happenings. But God's "mercies never end" (Lamentations 3:22) and His "grace is sufficient" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

May the posts and pages on this site offer you a measure of peace and encouragement.

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