Any parent with a school age child knows that they sometimes wake up on the wrong side of the bed.  Our daughter recently had one of those mornings and I make it my mission in life to get her smiling and happy before she starts her school day.

If our daughter is in a bad mood as we walk to school I typically will start asking her questions.  I ask, “Do you need me to tickle you?” as I hold my finger up in the shape of a claw.  “No!” she says with a frown.  Next I ask, “Do you want me to tell you a joke?” She emphatically answers, “No!”  The third thing I always say that does the trick, “If you don’t smile I will rub my beard on your face.”  Quite often she will resist smiling and then bursts into a giggle and we laugh and joke on the rest of our walk to school.

Why am I writing about this?  I think it is important for our 6 year-old to start the day on a positive note and I also think it is important for adults too.  I know when I start the day dreading what is ahead I have pretty much set my course for the day.  If for some reason I find myself in a bad mood, and I don’t fix it, I tend to mess up the day for myself and all those around me.

There are of course any number of things that people do to try and get the day off to a good start.  Some enjoy the regiment of a routine and having everything laid out and ready to go.  Others will add something a little special to their morning like a favorite treat or a good cup of coffee.  I tend to enjoy listening to some of my favorite songs, really loud, with the windows down.

As much as I want my children to have a good day, our heavenly Father strives even more for us to have a good and peace filled day.  We haven’t been promised all good days, in fact some will be filled with inescapable sorrow.  But we know we have a Father who seeks to comfort and encourage us. >>> Dinnertime Devotionals 18