First Days

Rose Hill School Perry, OK

FIRST LOVE. FIRST AID. FIRST LADY. FIRST BASE. FIRST BITE. FIRST FLIGHT. FIRST LIGHT.
Centuries ago the word first came from the word forma, meaning going before all others, chief, principal. It was a title or a physical position in Old English, German, and Dutch. You were the chief or the first of your tribe. It was a noun, not an adjective like it is today. I wonder if being an adjective makes it less important.

Monday was the first day of school for my family and for me as a teacher. Facebook and Instagram were filled with family pictures from near and far this week, celebrating those firsts. So what is it that makes us mark and celebrate the first days of life events? Not every first is pleasant you know. And when you get old enough, you've had lots of firsts.

First days are a blend of excitement, newness, anxiety, and dread even. Whether the first day of school for the very first time, the first day on a job, or the first day home from the hospital, it marks a transition, a time of moving from one season to the next. We may have many first days in life but only one like that day. That fact alone makes it worth celebrating. There aren’t any repeats, and it doesn’t last long because the second day is quickly approaching.

In Matthew, Jesus encourages us not to be anxious or worry about the day, its needs, our needs, its problems, our problems. We can’t add an hour to the day by our worry, even first days. Our heavenly Father knows each need. Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Read Matthew 6. Provision, trust, forgiveness, His goodness in every part of any day—these are given to us.

I pray that we can see first days and the in-between days for what they are—God's gifts.

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