Each morning, God gives fresh, new mercies, not as an obligation to you — but as an affirmation of you. This is no small thing — but amazing grace.   It’s a ridiculous joy to welcome our oldest son Caleb and his lovely wife Melba, of The Keeping Company, to share about gratitude, grace, and the simple joys of every day things. Please join me in welcoming them to the farm’s wide front porch today.

Guest post by Caleb and Melba Voskamp

Life is a mosaic of days.

Some days burst into vibrancy, resplendent, teeming with color. They shimmer, as though tenderly brushed by the gentle rays of dawn’s first light. The gift of the goodness of life takes shape as strongly as a silhouette against the golden  rays of the rising sun. Something as simple as a single hummingbird, flitting from flower to flower, suspended in the quiet coolness of the morning air, can evoke an indescribable joy, an uncontainable gladness simply to be alive. 

And yet, some days find us enshrouded in a fog of pressing responsibilities, lost in the murky, swirling, irreducible complexity of life. Colors fade, the notes of our melodies seem to flatten, our steps lack bounce, and our hearts echo with a peculiar kind of emptiness. Our spirit languishes with the weight of responsibility, the press of anxiety or fear, or merely the lack of buoyancy that comes from soul-deep weariness. 

On such days, when the world within us feels as gray as the weather outside, sometimes the most we can muster is the whispered prayer… “Well, tomorrow is another day.”

And indeed, tomorrow is always a new day.

“Tomorrow is never just another day, it’s also a gift — a divine gift.”

But tomorrow is never just another day, it’s also a gift — a divine gift.  

In classical Christian ecclesiastical architecture, the architecture of cathedrals and churches around the world, a space of Christian worship is traditionally situated so the congregation faces towards the east, towards the daily rising sun, towards the early morning light — which is symbolic of Christ’s resurrection, newness of life, and the rebirth we find in His grace. Each rising sun, each new dawn is an assurance that we are daily renewed, that we are lifted up on eagles’ wings, that God’s promises are new each and every morning. 

The melody of grace and hope symbolized by new dawn pervades Scripture from Genesis through the end of the New Testament. In Genesis 8 and 9, God makes a covenant with Noah, promising hope, renewal, and joy even in the darkness of clouds and turmoil. His promise hinges on the assurance of a new day, every day: 

“While the earth remains, 

seedtime and harvest,

cold and heat, 

summer and winter, 

day and night, 

shall not cease.” 

Genesis 8:22

“The power of Christ’s grace and love for us promises us the strength to greet each new day.“

God goes on to gift His creation to Noah and his descendants, echoing the promises of the Garden of Eden, and symbolized by the creation of a rainbow set in the heavens, a swath of color splashed across a grey and foreboding sky. In every rainbow, in every new morning, in every moment of joy spurred by the simple beauty of God’s creation, we are tangibly gifted the hope that God keeps His promises, and that in His perfect plan we can rest. 

Just as God daily fulfills His post-flood promise — the earth still spins and the sun still rises, each new day still dawns — so too can we trust that His promise to be our source of hope, joy, and love is daily renewed. 

The power of Christ’s grace and love for us promises us the strength to greet each new day.

In the early morning quiet, when the world is still half asleep, what if there was space to embrace a sacred pause? To let the burgeoning light be a gentle reminder of the profound gift of grace? Be still. Let the silence be a space for prayer and thanks, and let the promise of God’s peace speak to your soul. Whether the morning is clear and bright or dark and threatening, pause and feel the embrace of God’s assurance, breathing thanks for His goodness and love. 

In the calm moments at the dawn of each day, there is space for a rhythm of gratitude – giving thanks, beginning again with open hands. In Biblical Greek, the word for actively giving thanks is eucharisteo. 

It means thanksgiving, to give thanks, but it is more than that: it is gratitude, born of grace, which gives rise to joy. Eucharisteo is the overflowing of our hearts’ gratitude, bubbling up from the knowledge that God loves us and keeps His promises to us regardless of whether we deserve it, and overflowing in a fountain of joy and hope infused with divine assurance. Eucharisteo is a daily affirmation — no matter what the day might hold — of God’s goodness in our lives.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

His mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning; 

Great is Your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

“Practicing eucharisteo means moving our gaze from the overwhelming horizon to focus on the tiny, miracles that grace everyday life.“

Practicing eucharisteo often means moving our gaze from the overwhelming horizon to focus on the tiny, up-close miracles that grace our everyday life.

It means watching the hummingbird instead of the gathering storm clouds. It means a deep breath instead of a frantic panic. It means simple joys instead of complex solutions. 

The warmth of the sun on our skin, the serenity of a deep breath, the scent of fresh coffee in the morning. These things are simple, ordinary, almost common, yet they are all gifts, they are all joys, they are all reminders of grace.

Eucharisteo, this deliberate act of giving thanks, is the thread that connects our daily experience to the Divine. It is not just an act, it is a discipline, a practice, a choice. It is a decision to see beauty amidst the ordinary, to find joy amidst the trials, to live a life of gratitude amidst the uncertainty.

“And the beauty of eucharisteo? It doesn’t just change our perspective; it transforms our hearts.“

And the beauty of eucharisteo? It doesn’t just change our perspective; it transforms our hearts.

It turns our worries into peace, our fear into courage, our chaos into order. It reminds us that there is always something to be thankful for, even in our most difficult days.

Tomorrow is indeed another day. May we live it grateful for the grace of each new dawn, embracing the promised gift of His daily mercies.  

Every day is indeed a divine gift — a new opportunity to live out eucharisteo.