A friend of mine shared a saying with me that really spoke to my heart. Even though I wrote on this subject in a devotional over 10 years ago, it still rings in my mind and heart today. Hopefully, this will resonate with you as it has with me and you will absorb the full meaning of the words.
“One day at a time is all we should be dealing with. We can’t go back to yesterday and we can’t control tomorrow, so let’s be thankful for the gift of today.” (Lessons Learned) As all of us grow in age and we realize that our past is gone. All we have is memories of our great times and accomplishments plus our disappointments and frustrations. We also realize that is no way we can change our past. We also realize we can plan our future, but it is not guaranteed. All we have is today and if our life is to be better it begins now!
As the writer of the song “One day at a time sweet Jesus”, Marijohn Wilkin realized she was missing something in her life. She had fame, success, and was monetarily wealthy but she was lacking selfassurance of her personal life because of problems she had and continued to face from her past.
She sought help from a young minister at a small church. At the age of 53 she was asked by the minister, “have you ever thought about thanking God for your problems?”
How many of us today have ever thanked God for our problems and frustrations that we have or are facing? I would venture to say that not many of us have. It took me a long time to realize that God is in control of everything and without Him I can do nothing. When I faced tribulations and uncertainties in the past I would try and fix them myself or listen to the world on how to solve them. Sometimes the tensions would ease but never go away until I learned that turning everything over to my Lord that I could enjoy the rest and assurance of Him taking away my burdens.
In the gospel of Matthew 6:34 we are told, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble”.
All of us are going to face trials and troubles. It does not matter how successful we are there will be times of discontent. Our personal lives control our business lives, and they work hand in hand with each other. I do not believe that anyone, who knows God personally, can be successful and content without conversing with our Lord and Savior every day.
Marijohn Wilkin was one of these people. She knew God but placed Him behind her. Even though He blessed her tremendously with worldly treasures she also suffered with personal problems. After her conversation with the young minister, she realized that thanking God for her problems gave her a renewed outlook on life. She went home and wrote, with the help of her friend Kris Kristofferson, “One day at a time sweet Jesus.”
Talk to Jesus and thank Him for your problems. Consider them as learning situations and go forward from there with the help of God.
Prayer: Thank you Lord Jesus for another day of life. Lead me in the direction you want me to go. Amen.
