As I walked out of an amazing worship service last Sunday, I was feeling very inspired. We had just heard an encouraging sermon from the pastor. His message was entitled, “The Innkeeper”, taken from Luke 2:7. A couple of points he made were 1) The Innkeeper was very insensitive and inflexible, and 2) The Innkeeper missed a golden opportunity when he did not provide a room for Mary to give birth. We were reminded that there will be times when our day does not always go as planned; we might have to alter our plan. The sermon was masterfully delivered and spiritually motivating. My husband and I looked at each other as we reached the car and almost simultaneously said we had to find a way to keep this good feeling alive. We wanted to hold onto this extraordinary day – a day that was seeming to be perfect.
As we headed home, we discussed the need for a prescription that would assure us of a perfect day – a day that would end as wonderfully as it had begun. We thought if we headed to the lake, that would be a good start. Even though the weather forecast was for a rainy day, we decided to go anyway. After all, it was going to be a perfect day, or so we thought. However, by the time we reached the beautiful West Point Lake at the Highland Marina Resort, surrounded by the rolling hills of west Georgia in the city of LaGrange, the rain was falling. Realizing there would be no outdoor activities for us, we went to the store and picked up some items for dinner and other things we would need and then settled in for a balmy day at the lake. We stepped out onto the deck at the cabin and was transfixed, as we always are, by the beauty of the surroundings. It was extremely quiet. The usual sounds of boating and fishing along with the smell of food cooking on grills were missing. Everyone seemed to be “hunkered down” inside their cabin homes for a Sunday afternoon of lounging by the lake.
The rain was steadily pouring. So we accepted that there would be no leisure walk by the lake nor a game of volleyball. Instead, with warm blankets and lots of snacks, we cozied up for a day of watching sports. The remote control moved from football to golf. Our favorite team was playing as well as one of our most admired golfers. By the end of the day, both had lost to their competition. Also, by the end of the day, my husband’s minor cold had escalated to a more severe case.
The next day I was again sitting on the deck of the cabin and thinking how unrealistic it is to expect a perfect day. We should simply vow to make the best of each day and do our best every day. Our favorite teams don’t always win. Sometimes we will catch the unforgiving common cold. Altering our plans might be required at times. But we should always look for the beauty in our lives; the beauty of the lake, the outdoors, an inspiring sermon, families being together, or most importantly just being alive. How about that? I choose being alive for another day and all its imperfections, because there is no prescription for a perfect one. “Have a good day!”
Harrispeaks 