Tom's Message - July 21
Hope you’re having a great day today!
Which is totally different from what someone said to me the other morning.
He said, “Have a great day!”
Which is totally different from, “Hope you’re having a great day!”
Whether or not you have a great day because someone hoped you would…
or because someone told you to…
depends on the mood you’re in…grammatically speaking!
When Tina and I learned Italian, we learned lots of English!
Did you know that besides tense (“when it happened”)…
and voice (“Who done it?”)…
every verb has a mood?
In grammar, mood is “the relationship of the verb to reality”.
“Huh?”
F’r example…
If I say, “I ate three chili dogs yesterday!”…
“…ate…” is in the indicative mood. It’s just a statement of fact; “Here’s what happened”.
If I say, “I hope you eat a chili dog today!”…
“…eat…” is in the subjunctive mood. That’s when someone wishes or hopes something that could possibly happen, but also possibly not.
If I say, “I would eat a chili dog if I didn’t think they were gross!”…
“…would eat…” is in the conditional mood. Something would happen if a condition were met.
(“On the condition that I didn’t think they were gross, I would eat one. But I do so I won’t!”)
If I say, “Have a chili dog, buddy!”…
“Have…” is in the imperative mood. I’m telling you what to do.
(But if you still think they’re gross, you won’t anyway!)
So…
When I say, “I hope you have a great day!”, “have” (in the subjunctive mood) makes having one only a possibility but not a certainty.
But if I say, “Have a great day!”, the imperative mood indicates that it completely depends on you!
Subjunctively speaking, your great day is a possibility depending on lots of factors!
If it’s sunny and nice out…
If all your plans work out…
If nobody irks you with what they post on their social…
(The subjunctive mood even depends on if you’re in a good mood!)
But if…
imperatively speaking…
a great day depends on you…
you could have one, rain or shine…
plans or bust…
no matter who posts what!
“How??”
Paul wrote once, “We make it our goal to be pleasing to Him!”
What if that was the only thing that determined whether or not you had a great day or a dud??
“All I care about today is pleasing my Heavenly Dad’s heart! With my words, thoughts, attitudes…with my day!”
So no matter what the weather, if that’s your goal, every situation gives you the opportunity to reach it!
If it pours the rain…
or your plans go down the drain…
or someone is a grumpy pain…
if you walk thru it all in a way that pleases His heart, it’ll be a fabulous day!!
In 1640, an unknown kitchen worker in the Carmelite monastery outside of Paris had so much joy all the time that people wanted to know his secrets.
He wrote some letters explaining why he was so happy all the time and Brother Lawrence basically affirmed that his secret was exactly this!
Every day presents you with countless opportunities to do small things in a way that shows God you love Him! If that’s your goal, you can reach it a thousand times each day!
“Nor is it needful that we should have great things to do. . . We can do little things for God; I turn the cake that is frying on the pan for love of him…It is enough for me to pick up but a straw from the ground for the love of God….Men invent means and methods...and they learn rules and set up devices to remind them of His love, and it seems like a world of trouble to bring oneself into the consciousness of God's presence. Yet it might be so simple. Is it not quicker and easier just to do our common business wholly for the love of him?"
Make it your goal to show Him you love Him in every little job and word. Make it your ambition to please Him with every thought and attitude!
That’ll get you in the mood to have a great day!