Today's going to be a 10!

Each morning, I decide how much of my pain medication I'm going to take. Some days I take less, and there are some days I take the full amount allowed. Today was an almost all day... it's a 10 ml day. As I was cleaning out the measuring spoon, I laughed... "Today's a 10!" 

When we think of the number "10", we usually associate that with being great, top-notch, the best of the best. Yet, taking more of the medications, means a higher than normal pain day. So, what if the pain is high today.... can't the day still be a "10"? 

I think it goes back to perspective. I can focus on the pain being so bad that I need "10", or I can focus on the idea that no matter my pain, today will be a "10". It can still be a top-notch day even if my pain is high. 

In order for me to make this day a "10", I need to make sure my focus is not on "poor me", "why me" or even the pain itself. I need to focus on the wonderful things God is doing around me and through me. 

For example, as I was looking outside my sliding door this morning, I saw the moon. Just a sliver was lit, but I could see the faded outline of the entire moon. God used that image to remind me that pain is just a very small sliver of me, and that God has much more in store for me and my life than just the small sliver of pain. I see only a very small aspect of my life. I have no idea all that God has planned, or what He will do through me. 

A gentleman as church a few weeks ago, said this to me. "You are a blessing to so many. You have no idea the ones that you've reached by your example of what God is doing in your life." I thanked him for that perspective. For I only see the small sliver and often forget the "full-moon" of my life. 

So, today will be a "10 day".... the best of the best, a top-notch day.... if I remember to keep my focus on God and what He is doing, rather than me and my pain. 

To create a positive 10-day, I need to remember that God is in control and He is greater than my pain. His plan, although I don't always understand, is one that is the best of the best to bring glory to Him. 

Down Time

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 121. Here is what I learned.

The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. Psalm 121:6 (AMP)

The sun will not hurt you during the day, nor the moon during the night. Psalm 121:6 (GNT)

"The sun shall not smite thee by day," etc. A promise made with allusion unto, and application of that care which God had over his people, when he brought them out of Egypt through the wilderness, when he guarded them from the heat of the sun by a cloud by day, and from the cold and moistness of the night and moon by a pillar of fire by night. David Dickson

Whether the sun is shining or the moon is out, God’s protection doesn’t stop. God doesn’t quit working when the sun goes down—there’s no “down time” for God. Rather God provides true 24/7 protection. 

As I read Psalm 121:6, I thought how can the moon hurt me? But then I read this: 

"Nor the moon by night." In the cloudless skies of the East, where the moon shines with such exceeding clearness, its effects upon the human frame have been found most injurious. The inhabitants of these countries are most careful in taking precautionary measures before exposing themselves to its influence. Sleeping much in the open air, they are careful to cover well their heads and faces. It has been proved beyond a doubt that the moon smites as well as the sun, causing blindness for a time, and even distortion of the features. C. W., in "The Biblical Treasury"

24/7 protection from God. God cares for His people in ways that we don’t understand or comprehend. No matter what happens, God is fully aware and allows only what will accomplish His purpose. 

To create a positive day, it is about knowing that God’s protection is 24/7 without any “down time”