How else can one live? Is it possible to live two days at the same time? Of course not! But I sometimes try to do just that by focusing my attention on the past with its mistakes and failures. Or I try to control through worry what will happen at some point in the future. How crazy is that! God continues to teach me this lesson of "one day at a time" as He did when I first started recovery, when I finally surrendered my life to the Lord. The temptations to sin that I face each day of my life are a constant reminder of my need for the Lord's strength in every moment. I have often prayed that God would remove these fleshly temptations from me, but I think they remain because they are a great tutor to keep me close to the Lord, and they keep me from becoming prideful about any changes God has made in my life. I have to surrender my life to God not just in the morning when I have my quiet time, but also throughout the day; sometimes many, many times each day. My guard is constantly up, not in a way that produces anxiety but in a way that brings about peace as I focus on the Lord's presence in my life. When I begin to lose sight of Jesus in my walk with Him, the struggles begin. As my focus shifts from Him to my past failures or to worries about the future, I feel weighed down and my joy evaporates. My peace is shaken and I am kept from enjoying what God is doing in the present moment.
I thank God that He has blessed me to have many tools to help me stay focused on the here and now.Spending time regularly with the Lord in prayer, meditation, and reading His Word are my life's highest priority. I do not mean that I am perfect at it, but I strive to keep these things as of the highest importance because they are the means to develop and grow my relationship with my Heavenly Father, and that is my highest calling! My prayer today is that I will seek only to know Him more.
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