A small group of Christian men from CLC meets every Saturday morning at 6:00 am for breakfast, fellowship and prayer. Time passes so fast while we are together that we usually don’t break up until around 9:00 am. One Saturday we decided to meet at the local Cracker Barrel when they opened at six. There were seven of us sitting at a round table in the corner. Our server was a pleasant and outgoing lady and we were her only customers at that hour. She discovered why we were meeting and gave us her testimony. When she had served the food she asked what our topic of discussion was today. We told her at that moment we were talking about controlling anger. She smiled and told us how she used to get so angry when a semi was in front of her blocking her view of the road ahead. Then one day God revealed to her that the semi driver could see the road much better from his high vantage point than she ever could, so patiently following his lead would keep her safe. She said the life lesson was that God from his high throne can see all that lies ahead and he wants us to pull in behind him so he can lead us to our destination safely. He blocks our view so that we travel by faith and not by our own sight line. What an unexpected blessing. We have returned every week since then.
As Christians, we often strain our eyes trying to see as far down the road as possible and then worry about how we will react when we get there. Corrie Ten Boom wrote that when she was a little girl in Holland she went to her father and said, “Papa, I am so afraid I won’t be strong enough to follow Jesus.” He smiled and asked, “When we take a train trip to Amsterdam, when do I give you the money for the fare? Three months before we are to leave?” “No, papa” she replied, “You give it to me just before we get on the train.” Then he explained to her that God will give her all of the strength she needs when it is needed. The Bible is full of stories of how God put words in the mouth of a believer at just the right time or provided someone with strength when it was needed most.
“One Day at a Time, Sweet Jesus” was a popular song by Christy Lane, although many other artists have recorded it too. The message of that song is dear to my heart and I have been living one day at a time for so long that I don’t even remember what it was like to try to plan my life far into the future. Jesus said, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (Matthew 6:34) But God doesn’t want us to only take one day at a time. He wants us to take one step at a time. Another of my favorite songs says, “When by the path he leadeth, but one step I may see. His eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me.” Yes, he will light our path (Psalms 119:105), but only as far as we need to see at that time and no further.
The closer I get to the end of my journey, the easier it is for me to take one precious moment at a time and make the most of it.