Daycleaning

Bringing a spiritual perspective to daily life

On the coastal islands of the southeastern United States, there are places where people still speak the Gullah dialect, which appears to be a blend of African languages and English. The dialect is very beautiful and incredibly descriptive. For example, a manatee is called a "fish cow," which certainly paints a very accurate picture.

One of the words that I particularly love is dayclean. This is used to indicate the dawn (see "The People Could Fly," by Virginia Hamilton, pg. 42). Dayclean is a household word in our family. We use it to indicate a fresh start - a wiping the slate clean, so to speak. It connotes that good feeling of not bringing yesterday's baggage into today.

At one time, when our son was in first or second grade, he had a particularly difficult day. He'd been in trouble for one thing after another. As dusk was falling, he was in trouble once again. He sat back, sighed, and said: "I wish it was time to go to bed. Then I could go to sleep, and when I woke up it would be dayclean."

I was grateful he understood that his behavior didn't need to drag on to another day. And this was also a good opportunity to explain that dayclean can begin whenever you let it begin. I told him he didn't need to go to sleep to have a turnaround. Right then was just as good a time as any to have a fresh view of the day and to clean the slate. He got the idea, and we had a wonderful evening together.

A fresh start does not require time or rest. The only requirement is to recognize the need for a new view; and to see that we can adopt this view now and live accordingly. Here's a Bible statement that has proved very regenerative to me when taken to heart: "Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ" (Rev. 12:10). It tells me I don't need to wait for the future to have things be good. Good is here and now because God is good - and God is everywhere. God is the very source of who we are. As we accept this new view as actually true, we find our attitude - and gradually our life - being transformed.

"Now is come salvation ...." The word salvation implies freedom. The freedom referred to in the Bible involves liberation from thinking of ourselves as weary, stressed, defensive, flawed. Knowledge of how God has made us brings a release from the tentacles of anger, resentment, and self-destruction. It allows us to live a good life more and more. The divine Spirit has given us each a spiritual nature that is peaceful, joyful, loving, and lovable right now. We have the right to lay claim to this nature - to live it.

The Monitor's founder wrote a book that discusses the freedom to think thoughts that come from God. "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" says: " 'Now,' cried the apostle, 'is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation,' - meaning, not that now men must prepare for a future-world salvation, or safety, but that now is the time in which to experience that salvation in spirit and in life" (pg. 39).

The thoughts we get from God are good. They help us out. His words are gentle and firm, kind and uplifting. His actions are peaceable and productive. So if your thoughts, words, actions, do not match this standard of quality, let them drop to the ground - right now - and leave them there. No one is a slave, chained to destructive thoughts. They are not a part of you, no matter how much they may have been assailing you. You are, in fact, still the son or daughter of God. You are spiritual. And the acknowledgement of this fact is what heals.

Finding your innate spirituality brings refreshment and a new sense of purpose to life, and it can happen anytime, anywhere. That's why this very moment is dayclean!

This is the day which

the Lord hath made;

we will rejoice and

be glad in it. Save now,

beseech thee, O Lord:

O Lord, I beseech thee,

send now prosperity.

Psalms 118:24, 25

(c) Copyright 2000. The Christian Science Publishing Society