.....had to be forgotten. No question about that. I could not dwell on yesterday's distresses. Today was at hand. Today's needs had to be addressed. Today's challenges had to be met. Today's joys had to be celebrated. Don't underestimate the importance of celebrating every success, every joy, every bit of humor, every happy thing about the one you love, and every evidence of God's care and intervention. Celebrations preserved my sanity!
I have often thought about, prayed over, and recited Phil 3:13b-14:
"...one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
The context of those words is clear if you read the surrounding text, but this Scripture has far-reaching applications across many areas of our lives.
Yesterday's missteps would only anchor me down if I dwelled excessively on them. I took each one as a learning opportunity, absorbed my lesson, and moved on, while praying that my application of the lessons learned would make me more efficient and effective as Dad's caregiver. I could not allow yesterday's regrets to multiply into today. I confessed them to the Lord, sought His forgiveness and help, and apologized to Dad for my lapse. Today would offer its own unique challenges (Matt 6:34). I learned that I could not allow yesterday's failings to carry forward into today, or I would lose much of my joy in the Lord and my servant's desire.
Oh yeah, and not only was forgetting yesterday a challenge, but I also had to deny tomorrow's worries from seizing control of my heart. More on that in the next article.
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