We always knew what to expect. After half a day in the car, we’d arrive in the wee hours of the morning and literally crash into the soft, quilted bed. Two or three hours later, we would be awakened by a gentle knock and an anxious call: “Y’all are going to have to get up. I can’t stand it anymore.”
At that point, my husband and I would stumble out of bed, open the door, greet his ninety-three-year-old grandmother, and begin the breakfast routine. Grandmother had some difficulty maneuvering, so she would stand at the stove and prepare the biscuits and cream gravy, while Steve and I set the table and shuttled items back and forth between the kitchen and the dining area.
When everything was ready, we sat down to our hot meal, only to wait. She required two things before we could consume any food: a prayer and a blessing over the day. The words offered in prayer varied from time to time, but the blessing never wavered. It was always the same. Grandmother folded her hands, as only she could, looked at us, and declared with confidence, “This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”
One might assume this was a ritual for the family’s matriarch. Instead, it was her way of breathing life into her day and declaring her faith. By speaking those words, Grandmother made a firm decision that nothing—pain or difficulty, suffering or stress—was going to happen to deter or disrupt her joy. It was a done deal. God had given her another day to live, and, therefore, thankfulness and rejoicing would excel above all else.
So today, as I remember Grandmother Kirk’s firm decision to rejoice and be glad, I will do the same. I will declare that my day will not affect me, but I will affect my day by breathing life into it before the sun ever peeks its rays above the horizon (Psalm 118:24).
This is indeed the day the Lord has made. Therefore, choose to rejoice and be glad in it.
As a pastor’s wife for nearly thirty-two years, Mary Belinda Kirk has experienced the Word working in her own life and in the lives of countless others. She writes, teaches, speaks, and contributes columns to the Johnstonian Sun almost weekly. Her heart’s desire is that all come to understand that the Word of God is a beautiful gift. It is also alive and active, working in the most miraculous way to meet the needs of every person in every stage of life.