One hour at a time.
One minute at a time.
One second at a time.
One breath at a time.
One step at a time.
One prayer at a time.
Recently someone asked me, “How are you doing?” I replied, “Well, I’m still a day at a time, guy.” And some days it seems to be one hour, one minute, one second, one breath, one step, or maybe, just one prayer at at time.
Several years ago there was a song written by Marijohn Wilkin and Kris Kristofferson called “One Day at a Time.” Some of you are probably too young to remember, but the words to the chorus were:
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.
Simple words. Powerful message. The past few weeks I have been reminded many times of these words.
Oftentimes with the frantic pace of life, it seems that we are running from before daylight to well past dark, with very little time to even catch our breath. As someone so aptly put it, “The faster I go, the more behind I get.” I have heard another say, “If I just had 26 hours in my day, then I could get everything done.” I’m sorry, but I don’t think that would solve the problem.
The pace of life can definitely be a challenge. It’s somewhat ironic that we are living in the most modern, high-tech society, with every kind of timesaving device you could ask for, and yet, our generation seems to have less time to enjoy life. Where does our time go, or perhaps a more fitting question would be, what do we do with our time? Unfortunately, activity does not necessarily mean productivity.
When someone you love transitions to their new destiny, suddenly, your world slows down. You think about things, you didn’t have time to think about before. You see things, you didn’t see before. Things that were so important to get done before, now can wait. Death seems to put a whole new perspective on life.
You realize that every day is a gift. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift, and that’s why it’s called the present.
It doesn’t matter how old you are, where you were born, who your parents are, how rich or poor you are, what color your skin is, whether you’re male or female – you still have the same amount of time in a day as the next person – 24 hours.
The next time you tell someone, “I just don’t have enough time,” remember, you have exactly the same number of hours in a day that were given to Helen Keller, Marie Curie, Mother Teresa, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Albert Einstein.
I guess, it’s not really about the time, since we all have 24 hours in our day, but rather about how we prioritize our time. Stop and smell the roses. Slow down and smell the flowers.
So one at a time, please Jesus, that’s all I’m asking from You. Give me the strength to do everyday what I have to do. Yesterday’s gone and tomorrow is not promised, so Lord, help me today, show me the way, just one day at time.
Still Believing!
