Oh, What A Beautiful Morning!
Psalm 118:24 (NIV)
The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice and be glad.
The musical “Oklahoma” has one of my favorite opening numbers, entitled “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!” in which the main character, Curley, comes singing to Aunt Eller and is taking such delight and pleasure in what a beautiful morning and day it is.
His infectious joy in this opening number spreads on when he compares all the sounds of the Earth to music, even saying that he feels the day is so beautiful that the sounds of nature are coming alive and sharing his joy, with even “the old weeping willow laughing at him.”
While we may be so caught up in the happenings of our day to day lives, I feel that Curley’s infectious joy and appreciation for what a beautiful morning and beautiful day are surrounding him are attitudes that we can strive to hold and be thankful for. If there’s any one thing I would like to challenge you to do today, it’s this: take a moment to examine your surroundings and appreciate what a beautiful morning, or depending on what time this message should reach you, what a beautiful day you have found yourself in, and take joy and gladness in this day that the Lord has made while giving yourself a bit of respite from the happenings and responsibilities of your day to day life.
Let us pray:
Dear Lord, thank you for this day you have made. Help us remember to take a moment and appreciate the beauty of each day in the midst of our day-to-day lives. May this appreciation help us find small seeds of joy in our most troubling moments. Amen.
This devotion was written and recorded by Grace Jonas.
Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.
If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.
First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.
