Have you ever had one of those days where you worried about all there was to worry about? One of those days where you thought about all that was wrong and could go wrong? One of those days where you dwelt on the struggle, wallowed in the hardship, consumed by the negativity? You know, one of those days … have you ever had one? WELL LET ME ASSURE YOU OF ONE THING … TODAY WAS NOT GIVEN TO YOU TO MAKE IT ONE OF THOSE DAYS! The purpose of this day of your life isn’t to worry. God’s plan for you today isn’t to stay stuck in this negative head space, anxious about all the things. Sometimes we can get ourselves in such a funk that we don’t know what may unfold, but we have predetermined to just be anxious about it. Did you know it is possible to instead be excited about what may unfold? That’s totally an option! Anxiety over the unknown is not mandatory here, you could exchange it for excitement instead. Hey, I wonder how God is going to show up for you. I wonder what good plans he’s working together now. I wonder what blessings he has lined up and what wondrous works he’s planning on your behalf. I wonder how this could go RIGHT … like ridiculously right. I wonder how you could be at the right place at the right time by the design of the Almighty. I wonder how he is aligning miracles with your name on them, and you won’t even see it coming until you step right in the middle of it. Lord, help us to shift our reaction to life from anxiety to excitement. Help us to see your hand at work in every detail, and trust that it is good. Help us to break the habit of worry, and exchange it for peace that fosters overwhelming joy. This doesn’t all have to calm down for you to be peaceful. This doesn’t all have to work out before you exude joy. The offering of peace and joy is right here in the middle of the uncertainty, in the depths of the unknown, in the trows of the battle. Today’s happiness does not have to be sacrificed just because of the lack of perfection in circumstances. The majority of the days of our life will fall short of perfect, however every single one of them has the potential for living richly. When our eye is on the storm, we miss the Jesus in our boat. Matthew 8: 23-26 tells us about the disciples facing a terrible storm while they’re in a boat with Jesus. It says, “Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” While the disciples are absolutely freaking out, what is Jesus doing? He’s actually sleeping on the boat. Jesus is peaceful, he is calm, he’s not worried at all. Looking at different translations, scripture refers to this storm as fierce, furious, violent, and terrible. Yeah, you ever had one of those in your life? Not just a regular storm, but a furious one. The terrible kind that tears some crap apart in your life. The violent kind that rocks your whole world and turns you upside down. Yeah, it was one of those kinds of storms. The waves swept over the boat and they were about to sink. They were going under, and Jesus is sleeping. Sometimes that’s exactly how it feels. It feels like you’re going under and Jesus is sleeping on the job. You have him in your life, but what good is it doing? You’re sinking here and see no sign of rescue. So what do you do? Don’t hesitate to do exactly what the disciples did … WAKE UP J...