Today

Today is not just another day. Today, God reveals more of the myriad ways He communicates with me and the opportunities He gives me to praise Him and emulate His love. Am I prepared for today? Maybe not. But I trust Him, and each day He prepares for me is never just another day. Today, I roll out of bed and trudge to the kitchen to make breakfast for my three roommates. I linger a little longer by the large kitchen window, taking in the beauty of the untamed country yard. The neighbor’s rottweilers are barking more than usual at three little boys who are rummaging through a garbage bin in the nearby park.

The two older ones watch while the youngest stands on tippy toes to reach for something inside the bin. One of my roommates calls out to them, “What are you searching for?” “Bottles!” one of the older boys shouts. How did we not notice them before today? I wondered. Is this how they spend their Sundays? Going through the garbage in our neighborhood in search of scraps the residents had thrown out after their Saturday night parties? Today, we notice them and call them over to our house. We learn their names and find out they are related—two brothers and one cousin from the same children’s home.

Their mission is to find bottles to sell so they can buy food for themselves. They are hungry. The youngest one reaches into his backpack for the one hard-boiled egg they must share between them. We notice it has cracked open during their foraging. They are wearing grubby clothes. Their feet are dirty. Their toenails poke through the holes in the dilapidated shoes they wear. Today, we feed them breakfast and send them off with food to share with the others at the children’s home. Today is not just another day. It is the day that God gives me to live for Him. Today, He shows me how rich I am in His love. Today, I forget about student loans and other financial woes. Today, God has shown me that He is faithful. Today, I thank Him for my family and roommates and for opportunities like these—to glorify Him through serving others. Today, I praise the Lord for His goodness and His wonderful works to the children of men!

Joan Dougherty-Mornan