One by One

I'd hoped to feel less overwhelmed after Christmas. But when the New Year arrived, I shifted my focus from "all things Christmas" to improvements I need to make. Lose at least ten pounds. Exercise daily. Stay in closer touch with friends. Declutter drawers and closets and THE BASEMENT. Publish a second book....

The more I considered what I needed to do, the more overwhelmed I felt. (Does that happen to you, too?) But while reading an email on New Year's Day, I saw a simple solution for decreasing overwhelm. Starting today, do ONE thing! For example: meet one exercise goal for today. Call one friend. Declutter one drawer. Write one paragraph for the new book.

By doing one small task today and another one tomorrow and the next day and the next day..., I'll achieve my goals. (You can, too!) Even the ones that seem unreachable.

Out of... Into...

I love the old hymns for they remain as true today as when they were written many years--sometimes centuries--ago. Since I can't always remember ALL the words, I like to locate them in a hymnal or on the Internet and either sing them or simply say the words out loud.

I especially like the hymns that sound like prayers. One of my favorites is Out of My Bondage, Sorrow, and Light*. I hope you're familiar with it. If not, you can hear it here.

I hope you, too, will offer this prayer to Jesus:

"Out of my bondage, sorrow, and night, Jesus, I come. Jesus, I come. Into Thy freedom, gladness, and light, Jesus, I come to Thee."

You, too, may want (and need!) to come out of your sickness and into the health Jesus can give, out of earth's sorrows into His balm, out of life's storms and into His calm, out of distress to jubilant psalm...

When we come to Him, He gives us what we so desperately need but can't obtain on our own. He is our Source for every blessing and the Solution to every problem. Oh, Dear One, let's run to Him!

*William T. Sleeper, 1887

A Different Perspective

My Eyes Are on Thee

What do you do when you face a huge problem, one that seems beyond human ability to solve?

Perhaps you do what I am prone to do: Worry! Talk with others to get their “take” on it. Consult the experts. Eat comfort food. Mope around, weighted down with despair and uncertainty.

But, Dear Reader, if you and I are wise, we’ll do what King Jehoshaphat did many centuries ago when hordes of enemies were coming to attack his kingdom. He first sought the Lord’s will in the matter: he prayed; he fasted; he commanded his countrymen to do the same.

I love the conversation he had with God. (Thankfully, it’s recorded in 2 Chronicles, chapter 20.) The king said, “We are powerless against this great horde….We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on Thee.”

What did God say? Here’s a paraphrased gist of it, which is what He says to us whenever we cry out to Him for help: “Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at the size/scope of the problem. The battle is not yours but Mine…You will not need to fight in this battle. Instead, go out against the enemy; but then, knowing I am with you, stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf” (Based on vv. 12-17).

As promised, God gave them a great victory, and the king and his army didn’t even have to fight the enemy!

Wouldn’t we love for God to do that for us? He will—if only we’ll turn to Him in humility and trust in His love for us and His willingness to help us. (After all, we ARE His children, the children He loves!) 

Do we have to be perfect in order for God to do something miraculous for us? No! King Jehoshaphat certainly wasn’t. Although he’d done much that was right, he did have some bad decisions on his record, as you and I certainly do.

So…Dear Reader, let’s seek the Lord, rely on Him, and thank Him and praise Him (in advance!) for the victory He will give us.