Today Is The Day

 “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

— Psalm 118:24

Such a cliché statement: Today is the day.

But when we allow ourselves to really look into the day—when we stop and recognize the gift that today is—it holds so much deeper meaning.

I will start by simply thanking God for waking me up today.

Today is a new day.

It is different from yesterday. I have never been in today before—except right now.

Today is the tomorrow for which I prayed yesterday.

There were seasons in my life when I didn’t think I would make it to today. Neglect, abuse, abandonment, fear, and insecurity had all taken their place in some of my yesterdays. There were moments when the weight of what I had experienced made it difficult to imagine a future beyond what I was living in that moment.

But God.

As I look back over my life, I can recognize His hand of protection, His direction, and His comfort surrounding me—even in the moments when I couldn’t see Him.

He was there.

He kept me.

He carried me.

And today, I am grateful.

I am grateful for His protection. I am grateful for His faithfulness. And I am grateful for what He is still doing in my life.

I believe in my heart that I have another forty years to dedicate completely to the Lord—a life transformed, restored, redeemed, and made free.

Forty more years to become everything He created me to be.

I’ve never been in today before.

So today, I will make the best of what I have.

I will use everything within me to be a light that leads others to Christ. I will encourage someone who needs encouragement. I will give someone the smile they need. I will look at someone and let them know, “I see you.”

I will listen.

I will slow down enough to hear what someone may not have the courage to say.

I will do my best to meet people where they are. I will come down to their level so that, together, we can rise to the level God is calling them to.

Whatever the Lord requires of me, that is what I want to do.

I don’t want to waste today wishing for yesterday to have been different.

I don’t want to spend today worrying about tomorrow.

Today is what I have.

So I will make the best of what I have around me and what God has placed within me.

I will use my story.

I will use my scars.

I will use my voice.

I will use my smile.

I will use my compassion.

I will use everything God has redeemed in me to help someone else today.

Because someone may need the very thing I once needed.

Someone may need to know that they can survive what tried to destroy them.

Someone may need to know that their story is not over.

Someone may need to know that God has not forgotten them.

And perhaps the reason I made it through yesterday was so that I could be here today for somebody else.

Today is not just another day.

Today is a gift.

Today is an opportunity.

Today is proof that I made it through everything I thought would take me out.

And because I am here, I will not take today for granted.

I will rejoice in it.

I will live it.

I will give God everything I have in it.

I have never been in today before.

So today, I choose to live.

Today, I choose to serve.

Today, I choose to love.

Today, I choose to encourage.

Today, I choose to be the light.

And today, I choose to become the woman God created me to be.

Because today is the day the Lord has made—and I am still here.

And that is enough reason to rejoice.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for today.

Thank You for bringing me through every yesterday I thought I would never survive. Thank You for protecting me when I couldn’t protect myself, directing me when I didn’t know where to go, and comforting me when I felt alone.

Help me not to waste this day.

Show me who needs the light You have placed inside of me. Give me eyes to see them, ears to hear them, and a heart willing to meet them where they are.

Use my life, my testimony, my scars, and everything You have restored in me to encourage someone else.

I give You today.

And if You bless me with another forty years, Lord, I want every one of them to belong completely to You.

Today is the day You have made.
And today, I choose to rejoice.

Blessing 💕💖💖💖🙏🔥🥷

Dirty Glass

Lord, Give Me Access to the Hidden Places

“People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
— 1 Samuel 16:7

Have you ever looked at a beautiful glass window or display and noticed that something was wrong?

Recently, I came across a new double-screen display. It was designed to function like a television, allowing us to see what was happening inside and keeping us connected to what was taking place around us.

But there was one problem.

The glass was dirty.

I came prepared with everything I needed to clean it. I walked toward the screen and began examining the stains covering the surface. I thought, This shouldn’t be too difficult. I just need to clean it.

But as I began wiping the glass, I noticed something strange.

The dirt wasn’t on the outside. It was on the inside.

I couldn’t reach it.

I couldn’t wipe it away.

I couldn’t clean what I couldn’t access.

I realized that I needed a key.

Whoever installed the glass had never taken the time to clean the inside before sealing it. And now it stood in front of all of us—doing exactly what it was designed to do.

It reflected what was happening inside.

From a distance, it looked fine.

Only a trained eye would notice the smears, fingerprints, and imperfections.

And my friend, isn’t that sometimes how we are?

We come before God with everything looking beautiful on the outside. We worship. We serve. We smile. We encourage others. We show up.

But there are places inside of us that we have locked away.

We have allowed God to install what we think we need, but then we rush to lock the door of our hearts.

We say, “Lord, You can have this part of me—but not that part.”

We give Him access to our public lives but keep the private places locked.

We allow Him to see what everyone else can see, while hiding what only He can see.

But God is not fooled by appearances.

“People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

— 1 Samuel 16:7

The screen couldn’t clean itself because the problem was behind the glass.

And sometimes, neither can we.

There are wounds, disappointments, fears, unforgiveness, pride, insecurity, hidden struggles, and places of pain that require more than an outside cleaning.

They require access.

God doesn’t want to simply make us look clean.

He wants to make us whole.

Jeremiah 17:9 reminds us that the heart can deceive us. We can convince ourselves that everything is fine when God knows there is something underneath the surface that still needs His touch.

That’s why we must pray the prayer of David:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart.”
— Psalm 139:23

Not, “Lord, look at what everyone else needs.”

Not, “Lord, fix them.”

But,

“Lord, search me.”

Give Him the key.

Open the door.

Let Him into the places you have kept hidden—even from yourself.

Because what God reveals, He can heal.

What God exposes, He can cleanse.

What God touches, He can restore.

Sister, Give Him Access

You don’t have to be afraid of what God will find.

He already knows.

He knows the tears you cried when nobody was watching.

He knows the disappointment you never talked about.

He knows the wound you covered with a smile.

He knows the rejection you tried to forget.

He knows the places where you are still struggling to forgive.

And He isn’t coming to condemn you.

He is coming to cleanse you.

The question is not whether God can see inside.

The question is:

Will you give Him access?

Don’t settle for looking good from the outside while carrying dirt on the inside.

Don’t let the fingerprints of yesterday remain on the glass of your heart.

Let the Holy Spirit enter the hidden places.

Let Him clean what you cannot reach.

Let Him heal what you cannot fix.

Let Him remove what you have learned to live with.

And when He asks for access, don’t give Him a partial key.

Give Him everything.

A Prayer of Surrender

Father,

I give You access.

Not just to the parts of me that are easy to show, but to the hidden places.

Search my heart.

Reveal anything in me that does not belong to You.

Cleanse my wounds.
Remove my bitterness.
Heal my disappointments.
Expose the things I have hidden.
Wash away the fingerprints of my past.

Lord, I don’t want to simply look clean on the outside.

I want to be clean within.

Give me a heart of surrender, a willingness to go through Your cleansing process, and the courage to allow You into every locked room of my heart.

Today I say,

“Yes, Lord. Here I am.
I give You access.
Clean me.
Change me.
Heal me.
Use me.”

And when You are finished, let my life reflect Your glory—not just on the outside, but from the inside out.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

Reflection

What area of your heart have you kept locked from God?

Today, give Him the key.

He already sees what’s behind the glass.
Now let Him clean it.

With love,
Ivette Diaz-Yee
August 11,2026