Finding Joy Each Day
This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 (ESV)
Whale watching is something I’ve never done but it is on my bucket list. To see the largest mammal rise from the depths of the ocean and splash down over and over is a breathtaking sight so I’ve been told. All that power but they have control of it. Kind of like God, right? Leslie L. McKee (All God’s Creatures) went whale watching and got a life-lesson too.
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The day dawned bright and clear, perfect for a whale watch. My high-school classmates and I saw three whales jumping through the water. Imagine our excitement when another whale surfaced right beside our boat! Hearing the splash, we raced to look over the edge at this beautiful animal until it disappeared. We heard sounds on the other side of the boat and dashed across to see the whale popping out of the water, as if it was looking for us as much as we were looking for the whale. And then it disappeared again.
The game of peekaboo continued for at least ten minutes, with the whale popping up and “waving” a flipper at us before disappearing, only to reappear again on the other side of the boat. Our tour guide explained that such playfulness indicated that this was a young whale.
I’d seen photos and movies that featured whales, but this was my first time seeing this magnificent creature in person. Being up close and personal really put into perspective just how big they are—and it reminded me that God is certainly much, much bigger!
Though the senior high trip to Boston happened many years ago, it’s something I vividly recall to this day. I remembered being elated yet nervous, not just about the trip but also about the fact that I would soon be leaving home to head to college. While the prospect was exciting, it was also a bit daunting. Watching that whale go back and forth under our boat—filled with sheer joy in being alive and in the moment, reminded me to live for the day. The whale didn’t seem concerned about what it would find on the other side of the boat. Likewise, I did not need to worry about the future ahead of me, because God was in control. I could just enjoy the moment each day, because this truly is the day that the Lord has made.
Lord, help me to always delight in each day as I see the way You are working in my life and the world around me. AMEN.