(By Max Lucado)
It's quiet.
It's early.
My coffee is hot.
The sky is still black.
The world is still asleep.
The day is coming.
In a few moments the day will arrive.
It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun.
The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day.
The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race.
The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met.
For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day's demands.
It is now that I must make a choice.
Because of Calvary, I'm free to choose.
And so I choose.
I choose love.
I choose Love . . .
No occasion justifies hatred.
No injustice warrants bitterness.
I choose love.
Today I will love God and what God loves.
I choose Joy . . .
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance.
I will refuse the temptation to be cynical . . . the tool of a lazy thinker.
I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God.
I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.
I choose Peace . . .
I will live forgiven.
I will forgive so that I may live.
I choose Patience . . .
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world.
Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him/her to do so.
Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray.
Instead of clenching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.
I choose Kindness . . .
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone.
Kind to the rich, for they are afraid.
And kind to the unkind, for such is how God treated me.
I choose Goodness . . .
I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one.
I will be overlooked before I boast.
I will confess before I accuse.
I choose goodness.
I choose Faithfulness . . .
Today I will keep my promises.
My debtors will not regret their trust.
My associates will not question my word.
My wife/husband will not question my love.
And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.
I choose Gentleness . . .
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle.
If I raise my voice may it only be in praise.
If I clench my fist, may it only be in prayer.
If I make a demand,
may it only be of myself.
I choose Self-Control . . .
I am a spiritual being.
After this body is dead, my spirit will soar.
I refuse to let what will rot, rule the Eternal.
I choose self-control.
I will be drunk only by joy.
I will be impassioned only by my faith.
I will be influenced only by God.
I will be taught only by Christ.
I choose self-control.
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control.
To these I commit my day.
If I succeed, I will give thanks.
If I fail, I will seek his grace.
And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Love is patient and kind.
Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud.
Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not become angry easily.
Love does not remember wrongs done against it.
Love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth.
Love patiently accepts all things.
It always trusts, always hopes, and always continues strong.
Love never ends."
(1 Corinthians 13:4-8a . . . New Century Version)
