There are days in a writer’s life when staring at the vast, formless expanse of a blank page feels like an overwhelming and daunting task. From within its shapeless existence, it mocks the writer, taunting him to make the first move. So, with stern determination, slowly crafting one word upon another, new thoughts turn into many, and the power of the written word begins to communicate ideas of love, joy, hurts and sorrows moving within the heart of the writer. With every key stroke, or stroke of the pen, new life is brought to the once desolate landscape of missing creativity.
As a writer faces a new page each day, so we also face a wonderful and gracious gift of God in the newness of each day we are given. The preacher wrote, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!”” (Lamentations 3:22–24) At the breaking of the dawn, a new story waits to be written, typed out by our diligent action, or disappointing compromise, soaked in lethargic inaction. We are all blessed in each new day, as the newness of mercy and abundance of grace is given to us by our loving God. Yet so many stories end in tragedy and despair, a lifetime away from joy and triumph. Why? With each new day being an adventure into an unknown future, and from our shortsighted and human perspective, as yet unwritten, could it be that we are simply afraid? So paralyzed by the unknown, we refuse to lay hold of what we know to be true, which is, each day is a gift and we are free to write upon it as we choose.
Some may not enter into the journey because they are anchored in place by the past pain and destruction of missteps and mistakes. Paul wrote, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.” (Philippians 3:12–16) Paul was explaining he was not going to be looking back over his shoulder at what has been, but he was going to keep his gaze on the finish line in front of him.
Some are never concerned about what they’ve seen in hindsight, however, they are trapped under the shadow of the yet unknown. So worried about that which is not, they are suffocating under an unknowable and unforeseeable burden of the “what ifs” of life. Jesus commanded, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:33–34) Tomorrow is to never be the issue, but seeking first and foremost the Kingdom of God today is what is at hand. We should never fear our tomorrows, because each one is firmly in the capable and eternal hands of our Almighty God.
We must also remember each day is a gift and we never know if the one in which we are living will be our last. James wrote, “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” (James 4:13–15) You and I should live to write our new story for the good things of the Kingdom of God today. No more wiping out our new circumstances with the eraser of whining about past mistakes or missed opportunities. No longer basking in the fading glory of yesteryears, but living with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength to create a new story of God’s love and grace for the world to read. What gets you out our bed each day? The alarm clock or a desire to fulfill the calling of God to be His living letter for the world to read?