Starting the day in God's presence: Guided mindfulness meditation (20 mins)

Good morning. This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. It is so good to pause at the start of the day before all that lies ahead, be it wonderful and exciting, daunting, dreary, or incredibly stressful. Whatever lies ahead, it is so important to enter into the day with a divine peace and strength, to arm ourselves with the deep abiding knowledge that everything we do matters to God, that his presence abides with us, that he cares deeply for the most minute details of our lives, celebrating with us and mourning with us through the ebb and flow of this beautiful life. This is the day the Lord has made. Whatever it holds, we will rejoice and be glad in it. Instead of fixing our thoughts on what lies ahead, let's take time to fix our thoughts on the creator, lifting our gaze beyond the temporal, gaining strength, stillness, and peace from the eternal God and reconnecting with something larger than ourselves. Let's connect to his stillness, to his expansive perspective. How incredible that God who transcends our understanding still cares for the minute details of each day. Bring your focus to your breath, the life of God flowing in and out of your body. Notice intricate details. Bring your attention fully to the experience of each breath flowing in and out of the way your body gently moves with each inhale and exhale. Notice the gentle pause between each breath. Notice the sensation of air swirling in your nasal passage. The gentle cool rush of air at your nose with each inhale and the exchange for warmth on each exhale. Feel the beauty of every breath. Give thanks for each and every breath for the life that you have. This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. You are so full of potential and each breath is a gift carrying you on through each day to carry out a purpose. This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. The statement does not assume that our lives are trouble-free. We can rejoice and be glad in the day ahead even when it's less than ideal. This mantra is a declaration of an incredible truth that no matter what lies ahead of us today we can know true joy and maintain true incorruptible peace. We can do this because we are rooted and grounded in the God who holds the universe in his hands. This peace and joy the world cannot take away. This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. Allow this beautiful phrase to be your mantra both now and for the day ahead. Allow these words to cycle through your mind with the cycle of your breath. Breathing in this is the day. Breathing out that the Lord has made. Breathing in I will rejoice. Breathing out and be glad in it. Spend the next few minutes meditating on this beautiful truth with the rhythm of your breath. Allow it to fill your spirit with peace and courage. So This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. So Let's now spend the next minutes in contemplation of the many things for which we are grateful. things ahead that are weighing more heavily on our hearts. With each matter envision yourself gently offering up your concerns to God. See yourself placing them in his hands knowing you do not need to worry that he hears your requests and holds your concerns deeply filled with gratitude for the day he has given us and with determination that we will rejoice and be glad in it.