“But the gratitude for my life was overwhelming.”

By proclaiming that everything is good, right, in order, and as it should be, God sets the state of earthly normalcy. God’s shalom is holistic peace and harmony, discovered through the interconnectedness of all creation. Each part of the created whole bears the mark of its Creator; each element works in relationship with all the others. When God is finished with creation, there is a pause on the seventh day. Not a pause to look back and second-guess, but an intentional pause to celebrate all of the goodness, the way it is.

Learn of Me. Every blow to self is used to shape the real, eternal, imperishable you. It is not life and its difficulties you have to conquer, only the self in you.

Meditation for the Day “I will learn to overcome myself, because every blow to selfishness is used to shape the real, eternal, imperishable me. As I overcome myself, I gain that power which God releases in my soul. And I too will be victorious. It is not the difficulties of life that I have to conquer, so much as my own selfishness. Prayer for the Day I pray that I may obey God and walk with Him and listen to Him. I pray that I may strive to overcome my own selfishness.”