If you haven’t heard this old time song, then you definitely must take a listen!
(Yes, I know, it’s dated. But the words ring true still today!)
The words “one day at a time” is part of our tagline for Weller Mom. They are words that I live by, reminding myself not to take on the entire world all at once, but to take it on, one small step at a time. There’s so much to do and see in this world that things can get overwhelming quite quickly. Add kids to the equation….oh my goodness!
Let’s take out some key points from the song above (which is one of my favourites!)
I’m only human
I don’t know about you, but my kids think I’m Wonder Woman. I never get tired. I never get sad. I do everything. Meanwhile, some days are so overwhelming that I do feel extremely tired. I find a corner and cry, and I feel disappointed because I can’t do everything. But why do I think I can do everything? Do you know what’s great about being human? Our bodies tell us when it’s too much. If we’re tired, we should rest, when we’re hungry we should stop and eat. But sometimes we feel like we have to keep going because the work never stops! That is true. When you’re a parent - there’s no day off for that. But, we do need breaks. We need rest. And when we’ve done all we can, guess what? We can hand the rest over to God. Yes, that’s right! He doesn’t expect us to do everything, but He does expect us to lean on Him for strength.
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. Psalm 28:7 (NIV)
Show me the way
Sometimes we get to a fork in the path and we have decisions to make. Any of those paths could be great. Or sometimes we say "yes" to doing a lot of things that are good. But unfortunately as humans we tend to take on too much and then find ourselves overwhelmed. But if we ask God, every step of the way, to show us the steps we need to take then we can avoid that overwhelm. I don’t know about you, but i’ve noticed that God never reveals the whole plan to us. He knows what we can handle and guides us step by step. He leads us gently along the right path. It’s hard sometimes when we want to sprint to the end, but if we are patient like our heavenly Father, we’ll get there and we’ll have the strength to enjoy the end result. It requires trust on our part though.
Lord you know, if You’re looking below
You better believe that nothing surprises God. He sees everything that has happened. He sees what is happening and already knows what’s coming. He’s got everything under control and you can rest assured that whatever He sends your way today that it was for our good (Romans 8:28) and will be exactly what we need.
Read through Psalm 139 - such a great chapter about the God who knows us. But here are some highlighted verses:
Psalm 139:1-5 (ESV)
you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.
Psalm 139:16 ESV
Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
Yesterday’s gone, tomorrow may never be mine
Plain and simple. We can’t do anything about the past. Whatever is done is done. We have to look at today. We can plan for tomorrow but as the song states, “tomorrow may never be mine”. (This is our hope that Jesus can return at any moment). So that leaves us with just today. That’s all you need to worry about. Today. Does that take a huge weight off your shoulders? It does for me!
Refuse to worry about tomorrow, but deal with each challenge that comes your way, one day at a time. Tomorrow will take care of itself.” Matthew 6:34 (TPT)
The chorus is such a perfect prayer for us to sing or pray each day:
One day at a time, sweet Jesus!
That’s all I’m asking from you.
Just give me the strength to do everyday what I have to do
Yesterday’s gone, sweet Jesus, and tomorrow may never be mine
Lord help me today, show me the way,
one day at a time.
Every day is a gift. God has so much for us to learn, to experience, to enjoy. So take it one day at a time. When things get overwhelming, do not worry. Take a step back. Breathe. Then ask the God Almighty to swoop in and lift you up.
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)
He’s got you, mama.
Take it one day at a time.
Speaking of taking things one day at a time....here's something new at Weller Mom: