A New Day Dawns…

So Monday of this week I submitted my two week notice at work.  I would like to be able to tell you that at 49 years and 10 months old, I am able to retire and live off the land on our little homestead farm.  Alas, that is not the case.  I wish I could announce that, but I cannot.  I’m going to pursue a job doing something that I don’t have any experience doing.  Sounds like an adventure, doesn’t it?  So at the beginning of September, a new day will dawn for me.

But that’s not really what I want to talk about today.  I’m a creature of habit.  I get up at a certain time, go through the same morning rituals and glance at the clock to gauge my progress.  I know I need to be out of bed at 5:30 am and back inside the door from morning milking and feeding by 6:10 am at the latest in order to shower, shave, dress, grab my lunch and a coffee and be out the door by 6:30 am.  Most days that puts me turning off the road and pulling up on the on ramp of Interstate 10 heading west at 6:36 am and arriving in my parking lot at the office at 7:21 am.

I changed my morning routine the other day and instead of hitting the blacktop road, I made a circuitous route down some gravel roads behind the house to check out results of the recent flooding.  There was a big “Road Closed” sign up across the road as I tried to drive westward, so as I looped back, I was driving due east down the road that runs right by our little church.  The sun was just rising in the eastern sky and if I had my camera versus my old phone camera, this would’ve been a nice picture.

The day was brand new.  There was no traffic on the country road and it was quiet outside if you ignored the roosters announcing the arrival of dawn.  There was a fog rising off of the dew-drenched landscape.  The air was clean and a little cool in the shadows of the new day, as if it was holding on stubbornly before succumbing to the humid, sweltering August day that lay ahead.  A new day awaits.

Regardless of the mistakes made yesterday, we have an opportunity to wake up and try to make things better.  The goals set that we didn’t reach yesterday can be sought after again.  There is hope that the trials, pain, stress, and uncertainty we faced yesterday will be gone or reduced in this brand new day.  It is as if the slate has been wiped clean and you have a new start.  A do-over.  We have 1,440 minutes or 86,400 seconds to get it right this time.  Unlike in the Olympics, there are no starting blocks and no blast from the starting gun to alert you to get things underway.  There are really no markers to let us know that we are on the right course.

It is up to us individually.  Except it is not.  A new beginning awaits, but we are not alone.  We put our faith in Him to lead us and we pray that we have the good sense to follow Him.  A new day dawns…  And He is Faithful!

Lamentations 3:22-24

²² The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
²³ They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
²⁴ “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I have hope in Him.”