Psalm 113:3 
From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, 
the name of the LORD is to be praised. (NIV)

From east to west, from dawn to dusk 
Keep lifting all your praises to GOD!
(The Message)

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The first rays of the morning sun will soon begin their work of illumination. The dogs and I will go out for their morning meal and constitutional exercises. We will listen to the birds and use the Merlin Bird ID app to identify how many different birds we hear singing their praises.

This evening, we will repeat this order of operations. 

Millie the Black Dog decided she needed to go out earlier than normal this morning. Her whine sounded like she was in a bit of distress, so we certainly wanted to take care of that. What we noticed was the wind blowing, and that it is cooler than normal.

The birds were just awakening. They are in full glorious song now that we have returned inside. A cardinal sits not far away from my office window, awakening the dawn.

I’ve been writing in a gratitude journal before bedtime for quite a few years. Pondering this psalm and listening to the birdsong, I think maybe I should start jotting down my thoughts of praise and gratitude throughout the day. I will continue writing in my journal at the end of the day, but I will record more joyful notes during the day. 

It’s probably true that if we pay more attention to praiseworthy moments during the day, we will likewise enjoy more poetry along the way. This ancient psalm seems to be pointing us in this direction. It doesn’t give us an outright command to jot some bits of verse throughout the day, but it does tell us to notice those patches of Godlight that add delight to our meetings and moments. 

The Pokémon craze ramped up a few years ago when people could catch Pokémon as they went about their daily lives using their cell phones. A young man driving down the street next to our office recklessly turned onto a side street, pulled his car to a stop near the curb at an angle that blocked about a third of that street, and left his car door open as he ambled into a vacant lot, staring at his phone with a stupid grin on his face. 

I’m not sure I’ve ever written the words “stupid grin” like that before. I try not to insult people any more than they deserve. (Ahem)

Who knows? Maybe if he sees me today capturing a patch of Godlight, he might think I have a stupid grin. And that will be okay. 

Capture patches of Godlight wherever you find them today. Don’t worry about what anybody else thinks about you. This is a moment between you and our Father in Heaven. He ultimately decides what is good and what is goofy, and he loves us without limits, no matter how corny our verse or silly our grin. 

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I will notice and capture patches of Godlight. (Thank you, C.S. Lewis, for this delightful phrase.)

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Our Father, as I navigate this day, may I do so in full expectancy of capturing patches of Godlight. I will take good notes when I do. I will sing your praise silently when necessary and aloud when possible. Amen.