Any given day.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

Lamentations 3:22-24 NRSVUE

Anything can happen on any given day. We have been given life and I’ve heard it said that we were not promised what “kind” of life.  That we must make the best of what we are given; in that we are creators of each day by our free will choices.

Now, I’ve known folks who’ve lived through unbelievable things, some were crushed by life and in the end, never contributed, never bounded back, gave back, but were seemingly forever lost in their own spiral of sorrow.  Other folks, who’ve also lived through the roughest loses that life could throw at them, somehow, someway, persevered in ways I have found to be remarkable, inspirational and truly courageous.  I am in awe of these people’s resilience and ability to create a new life, walk with grace and be new with love and integrity.

This verse from Lamentations has always given me hope. The ideas of steadfast love, endless mercies, great faithfulness and best of all the glory of a “new morning!”  It is like that fresh new day or like a new season that can and will give a new start that makes all the darkness of the night before dissipate with the morning dew.

But this is from Lamentations and is attributed to the prophet Jeremiah. Again, believed to have more than one author, but lamentations is an expression of deep grief, sorrow or regret.  When I was about four years old, I awoke to my mother’s weeping. Her grief at the loss of her father that early morning was true lamentations physically expressed through a wailing and moaning the likes of which I’ve only heard or experienced a handful of times in my life. Darkness had fallen on our home, and four-year-old me, could only try to comfort my mother with the love only a small child could give.

In my research of this book, I discovered that in the Hebrew Bible, it is, “Eikha” which translates to “How!” or “Alas!” and is a funeral song, not to the loss of a person but the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Which we know is as a scared earthly place for the Jewish people.  Today, this site is in a delicate geopolitical stance beyond my understanding, but in close proximity are the Islamic Dome of the Rock, Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Western Wall.  (Please use the internet to explore a map of that area on your own.) Upon further research, I learned that this place was built, destroyed and rebuilt and destroyed again. What we humans build on earth, even to the glory of our God is truly only temporary. This is our temporary home.

But with God, “Any given day”, can be different.

In John 2:19  Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” NRSVUE

Jesus’ audience thought he meant the temple of Jerusalem, but we know he meant the temple of His own body. We know that with faith and belief, much, much more is possible.

I’ve known folks, who look at a new day carrying the darkness of the day before as burden; lamenting until they have no more. This has become their default mode. But even in Lamentations, there is hope, a hope in that new morning.  The freshness of a new day that only God can bring. You and I have a choice each day to approach each new day with sorrow or with hope.  For me, I choose hope.

1.      Are you lamenting? What brings you hope?

2.     How do you face each new day? What is your default mode?

3.     How do you lift up those around you?