It's quiet, it's early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world
is still asleep. The day is coming. In a few moments the day will arrive. It
will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn
will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be
replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning
will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met. For the next
eighteen hours I will be exposed to the day's demands. It is now that I must
make a choice. Because of Calvary I am free to choose, and so I choose.
I choose love. No occasion justifies hatred. No injustice warrants
bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.
I choose joy. I will invite God to be the the God of circumstances. I will
refuse the temptation to be cynical, the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse
to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse
to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.
I choose peace. I will live forgiven. I will forgive, so that I may live.
I choose patience. I will overlook the inconviences of the world. Instead
of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so. Rather than
complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for giving me a moment to
pray. Instead of clenching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy
and courage.
I choose kindness. I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone, kind to
the rich for they are afraid and kind to the unkind for such is how God has
treated me.
I choose goodness. I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest
one. I will be overlooked before I boast. I will confess before I accuse. I
choose goodness.
I choose faithfulness. Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not
regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not
question my love and my children will never fear that their father will not come
home.
I choose gentleness. Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I
raise my voice,may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it only be in
prayer. If I make a demand, may it only be of myself.
I choose self-control. I'm a spiritual being. After my body is dead my
spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot rule the eternal. I choose
self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my
faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I
choose self-control.
Love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I
fail, I will seek His grace, and then when this day is done, I will place my
head on my pillow and rest... I choose God.
(A)ccepts you as you are
(B)elieves in "you"
(C)alls you just to say "HI"
(D)oesn't give up on you
(E)nvisions the whole of you (even the unfinished parts)
(F)orgives your mistakes
(G)ives unconditionally
(H)elps you
(I)nvites you over
(J)ust "be" with you
(K)eeps you close at heart
(L)oves you for who you are
(M)akes a difference in your life
(N)ever Judges
(O)ffers support
(P)icks you up
(Q)uiets your fears
(R)aises your spirits
(S)ays nice things about you
(T)ells you the truth when you need to hear it
(U)nderstands you
(V)alues you
(W)alks beside you
(X)-plain things you don't understand
(Y)ells when you won't listen and
(Z)aps you back to reality
"Flexible people don't get bent out of shape."
