Physically, it is impossible to live in any other time
except the present. But that still hasn’t stop of us from living
emotionally and mentally in the past or the future, even though Jesus has given
us explicit instructions not to worry about tomorrow. And Paul also talks a lot
about letting go, and leaving the past behind.
Why is that?
Because God wants us to trust Him completely!
Is this easy to do or something we must work at?
It’s most defiantly something we must train ourselves to
do—without a doubt!
I am currently in the process of moving, and two weeks ago I wasn’t even sure how I was going to get my
things moved. Now mind you, I have pared down my stuff the past five years
greatly. I went from a 3 bedroom house to a 2 room third floor living space in
my oldest daughter’s home. That translated into getting rid of a lot of
furniture and dishware. And then I just made another move 8 months ago and got
rid of even more things! But I still had to move my youngest daughter’s
belongings around with me while she was attending college and even now as she
teaches in Honduras.
Phew! I’m getting to old for this. And that was my cry to God.
Please don’t misunderstand, I am happy to be moving and
elated that I can, but the process of moving deeply grieved my heart and I just
didn’t want to have to think about it or much less do it! I had a real dilemma.
And what should we do when we find ourselves in a situation? Pray! And I did just
that, because I really needed help.
Well, God used this particular time as a great reminder of
who He is and that His ways are not our ways. And He did it “one day at a time.”
I started pulling stuff out of the attic about 10 days ago,
and then I started purging and repacking. At first it was so overwhelming, but
I just kept praying and asking the Holy Spirit to encourage and strengthen me. Truthfully,
I was on the brink of being depressed a bit.
The first part of my prayer God answered, by giving me a
place to store (free of charge) my youngest daughter’s belongings. I no longer
have to worry about moving them with me. And when she returns next year she
will be able to collect them.
Each day, I spent time on packing, sorting and purging. My
living space was messing and out of place which always makes me feel blue. But
after awhile, things began to fall into place and each day, something was moved
out and replaced with the next batch that needed to go. At the end of the day
I felt tired and exhausted, but woke up the next morning with a renewed
strength.
Now that I am into day 6 of moving from one place to
another, I am able to look back and see how I was strengthened to accomplish
and achieve what I needed to do—one day at a time.
There are 2 more days of moving and cleaning ahead of me,
but I’m amazed at all I’ve accomplished with the help of just one or two people
at a time and how smoothly everything has gone. It has all boiled down to
trusting God. I didn’t have a set plan of this, this, this or that. No, it just all
fell into place as people stepped up to help. My girlfriend’s son even came
down from New York, to help me move.
My hope was to hire someone to just move the stuff and be
done, but I couldn’t seem to work that out and once I relinquished control (or
lack of control), over to God—it all fell into place. And there was never a
clear plan, just bits and pieces of “one
day at a time”.
This was a situation where I really had to depend on God
to work it out for me and he has all the way. But, wouldn’t it be wonderful if
we lived like that every day without having to be put in a position where it seems we
have no choice?
When the Israelites were in the desert, God made provision
for them daily by making bread (manna) fall from heaven. It was to see if they
would follow His instructions in obedience and also teach them to depend on
Him. He still desires the same of us today.
Living in the moment is so much easier when we have a steady
paycheck to cover our expenses and other needs. It’s a breeze when we aren’t
really dealing with any particular health issues, our kids are doing pretty
well and our husbands are acting right.
And if we are honest with ourselves, we will admit it's easy to find comfort in our
checking and savings accounts. And yes at times, it can become hazy that God is our daily
provider. That is until
something happens and those accounts are empty, overdrawn and topped off with eviction
or foreclosure notices. When life unscripted shows up and our comfort zones become
disassembled, we quickly find—it’s not so easy.
In the past when I’ve moved, I had a truck rented for me and
6 people show up to help. But this time God chose to do it differently—one day
at a time.
I’m grateful my move is almost completed, but I don’t want
to lose this new energy of waking up eager to see how things are going to
unfold for me. I don’t want to have to be put in a tough spot for me to wake up with a great anticipation of God's plan for my day.
Maybe you’re facing something that seems overwhelming and has
you stressed and worrying about tomorrow. Stop yourself! (Yes, we have the
power.) Focus on living in today. Not only is God’s mercies anew each day, but
so are His love and help. They are all a constant.
We cannot change what happened yesterday or 30 years ago. And
there is nothing we can do about tomorrow (we may not even get to see it), today is all that matters. You can find all
the peace and strength you need in the mighty work of the Cross. And you are only
required to do it, “One day at a time!”
I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)
Sisters, read your bibles! Study the Word! And pray!
Until next week...
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