I looked at the whole day ahead of me, and wondered how I would cope through it all.
I didn't think I could do it, and so I battled my way worrying through the day.
I was talking to a friend one day who told me how she used to have to just baby step her way through. Minute by minute sometimes, instead of hour by hour or day by day.
A bit like the well known song, 'One day at a time'.
When I looked at the whole day, I couldn't cope.
But I could cope a bit easier if I tried it in bite sized chunks.
Often it was: breakfast time, then play school, morning tea, lunchtime, rest time...
Thinking, 'it's an hour 'til lunchtime' was much easier than 'its six hours 'til Michael will be home'!
It's a bit like looking at years or months, instead of just weeks or days. I know we have to plan ahead too, but there is wisdom in focusing on the day before us, instead of spending all our time fretting about what else is to come in the future.
Jesus taught about worry. He knows our nature, our tendency to worry about things, to want to plan and control our tomorrows.
"Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to his life?" (Matthew 6:27)
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:34)
I do not want to simplify the issue of anxiety, as I know how debilitating it can be, but one day (or minute) at a time is a tool I used to help me to manage each day.
One thing I realised is that I can't always expect my days to be easy, to be trouble free.
I rely on God each day, each hour to help me through. To have the patience, the grace, the courage to get through, and to try to give my best to my family.
In all things, God is showing me that when I am weak, He is strong, that I can't do it on my own, and I am learning (sometimes slowly) that this is a good thing, not a bad thing!
"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
Psalm 73:26
No comments:
Post a Comment