As we look forward to the start off another year, I’ve a session for you today taken from my bestselling book Daily Prayer 2, published in 2012. Drawing on memorable words from the book of Ecclesiastes, it calls us to celebrate the gift of life, every moment of every day.
Celebrate the gift of life
Read
How good and pleasing it is to see the light of each day. Celebrate every year of your life. Ecclesiastes 11:7
Ponder
How do you greet the thought of another year? Does it thrill you with a sense of new beginnings or does it bring an uneasy sense of time passing faster than you’d like it to? Hopefully it’s the former, but on occasions over the coming months we’ll probably all see time as a foe rather than a friend. When life is good, we want it to stand still so that we can hang on to it for ever – only, of course, we can’t, and those special moments soon become distant memories. When life is busy, we want more time, for there simply isn’t enough to go round. When life is dull, bringing yet more of the same old routine, time drags. For a host of reasons we can end up yearning for extra time or wishing it away, and in each case we fail to appreciate the time we have.
How, then, do we escape from that impasse? Let me suggest three points to keep in mind. First, no matter what our responsibilities, we must learn to take things at a more leisurely pace, building into each day a few moments to be still in the presence of God. Second, we need to take things as they come, letting go of worries about the future or regrets concerning the past and remembering that each moment is God’s gift. Third, we must remember that we live in the context not simply of our brief human span, but of God’s eternity. In other words, quite literally, we have all the time in the world, and more! Yes, we’ll still occasionally end up chasing our tails, wishing we could stop the clock or wondering why its hands seem to move so slowly, but we’ll have also learnt to appreciate the time God has given and so to appreciate life to the full.
Ask yourself
What things prevent you celebrating each moment? Have you lost your sense of perspective? What steps can you take to live each day more fully?
Pray
Thank you, Lord, for a new day, new month, new year that is waiting to unfold its secrets. Thank you for the truth that, with you, not just some days are special, but all of them, each offering new experiences of your love and fresh opportunities to celebrate. Teach me, then, as I celebrate this day, to celebrate every day, to see each moment as your gift to be gratefully received and joyfully lived, through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
Remember
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us celebrate and rejoice in it. Psalm 118:24
Close
Remembering all you’ve done, Lord, and trusting in all you shall do, I rejoice in the present, your gift of life here and now. Help me, every day, to know, love and serve you, and to delight in your goodness. Amen.