A WORD FOR TODAY, April 8, 2022
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, April 8, 2022
“I will give thanks to Yahweh with my whole heart. I will tell of all your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in you. I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.” Psalm 9:1-2, WEB
Today is “National All is Ours Day.” It is a day devoted to appreciating all the things of beauty and nature around us. The website about the day brings to our attention the ways we use and abuse the world and how we should recognize the importance of the world in which we live. The site says, “The holiday also teaches us to love and be grateful for all that we possess. You can use this day to share what you have with friends, family, or even outsiders.”
There is no information on the origination of this particular day, but there are several suggestions on how to celebrate. First of all, we can go outside and enjoy the nature all around us. This is a “stop to smell the roses” approach to appreciating the beauty of our world, remembering not to take nature for granted. Another way to celebrate is to be thankful for everything you have. We all have something or someone that brings us joy, so this day is a day to appreciate those things and people. The third way to celebrate is to share our resources with others. If we have things that bring us joy, then wouldn’t giving those things to others pass the joy onto others? After all, if “All is Ours,” then shouldn’t we do something to make sure that ours becomes theirs, too?
I’m not so sure about this particular national “holiday.” It is good to appreciate nature and all we have, and it is good to share what we have with those in need, but do we really need a special day set aside to appreciate the everything and consider our role in keeping it? Is all ours?
From our Christian perspective, nothing is ours. We are merely stewards of the many wonderful gifts God has given to us. Yes, we should appreciate the beauty and nature around us; we should be aware of the ways we waste our resources and destroy God’s Creation. Yes, we should count our blessings and be grateful for everything that gives us joy in our little corner of the world. Yes, we should share our resources with our neighbors. We do these things not because all is ours, but because all is God’s and He has called us to be good stewards of everything that is His.
Everyday should be about more than appreciating nature and the things we possess; we should live thankful to God daily with songs of praise. I hope that whatever we do to celebrate “National All is Ours Day,” we will remember that everything comes from God and that true joy comes from faith in Jesus Christ. He has given all of us so much, beyond even our greatest desires. With such great gifts, how can we be silent? The Psalmist could not help but sing praises to God, to exult in His goodness. Let us all join his song worship the Lord God before all the world today and everyday, that they too might see how marvelous He is.
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