Remember this song? The chorus gives us one lifestyle option to consider. Do you try and practice the thought?
“One day at a time sweet Jesus that’s all I’m asking from you
Give me the strength to do everyday what I have to do
Yesterday’s gone sweet Jesus and tomorrow may never be mine
So for my sake teach me to take one day at a time”
(Kris Kristofferson, Marijohn Wilkin)
I’ve tried this… multiple times. It’s not easy. I’m the organizer/planner type so while I am spontaneous, I also have some sort of sketchy plan in the back of my mind. Ergo – I do plan for tomorrow on some level. And yet, I don’t think this song dis’s this, but it does focus our attention on our now. Do we? Are we engaged in the moments of our day… or… does the day slip away from us and at its end, if we look back, are we pleased about how we spent our moments?
It’s the second line that I tend to focus on… “give me the strength to do everyday what I have to do” – strength, everyday, have to do. I suspect we all need this. But while on the surface this may appear to be a negative, that we don’t have the strength, not necessarily. Equipping may be an adding, or a backup to what we already have. A new learning. We’ve been given so much… do we use everything that’s provided?
‘Everyday’… I need to be certain not to miss my day and also not to miss what’s in my day. For me this means to look at what I ‘want’ as much as what I /have to’ do. Personally, the ‘have to’s’ are rarely a negative (even the tasks that I don’t want to do) since, at days end, I have accomplished at least some of my goals (have to’s) – and that, for me, is a plus. However, there is always a list of ‘wanna’s’. And they are equally important. They are the spice and flavoring to our day. I believe it’s important to be able to look at my wanna’s and see that this was also part of my day’s accomplishments.
My ‘every days’, like yours, are precisely what I make them. They can be positives and negatives and I don’t cares, and new thoughts for the future… etc. Days can be full and fruitful as well as frustrating and futile. Don’t preordain your days so tightly that the unexpected doesn’t have room to be present. Unexpected’s can be fun, can be a warning… they are never boring – but also, never ignore them.
The lifestyle of ‘one day at a time’ may not be yours. However, it can be when you decide this is what you want and you define the words. You’ve been given life… how you spend your time really is your choice. But never just throw it away – be engaged!
