As a child, I celebrated birthdays with joy and excitement. I opened my gifts with great zeal – ripping through wrapping paper, tearing open boxes and turning gift bags upside down. I was particularly delighted with gifts I could enjoy straight away, those labelled ‘batteries included’. The verse above describes another precious gift:

the present day. It too comes filled and ready to enjoy. The psalmist writes that the Lord has made the day and encourages people to celebrate it with joy and gladness. While the psalmist was recalling a specific day in Hebrew his- tory, the call to celebrate the present day is for all people in all times.

The Lord has placed inside each day all that is needed for enjoyment and spiritual growth. No batteries are required to appreciate this gift.

So often we miss the joy of today because we are preoccupied with plans for tomorrow. How different life would be if we, with child- like zeal, turned the ‘gift bag’ of today upside down to get everything out! While asking for tomorrow’s needs, we can also pray for the Lord to help us to be grateful for the present day and to look for all that is placed inside it for us.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to pause and appreciate the gift of today and to make the most of what it brings as we seek to serve you. Amen