January 9: Don’t Worry About All the Steps. Begin.

Affirmation: Look in the mirror & love who you see…God does.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that whoever believes in Him shall not die, but will have eternal life.John 3:16

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Ponder, Personalize, Practice: Think about the significance of this request…”Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love,”

Continue to memorize this verse and repeat it throughout the day. Make this personal.

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. 

Psalm 143:8

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Walk in Grace, Live in Love By Bob Goff

                         Jan 9

Don’t Worry About All the Steps. Begin.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with Thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.Philippians 4:6-7 
Have you ever run a marathon? Me neither. I have some friends who have done it, and I’ve learned a lot about life from what they’ve experienced. They say that they feel like their bodies are going to shut down at multiple points in the race, so they keep moving when they stop by tables with water or orange slices. Some say they get a little delusional at certain points and sometimes feel an unexplainable sense of euphoria. All the friends I’ve ever asked say they couldn’t think too far ahead when they felt like they were falling apart. In other words, they couldn’t think about mile 22 when they were on mile 21 because it was just too overwhelming. They had to focus on putting one foot in front of another and repeating this until they finally crossed the finish line.

I think the same is true for most of us when we start a new project or pivot to a new direction in our lives we can do our best to plan and train but once we’re in the race, all we can do is be present in the moment. We won’t know what needs to happen at mile 22 until we get there. Some people delight in this, but most spend too much energy feeling anxious about a mile marker they haven’t yet arrived. Does that sound like you? Usually the things we worry about the most, don’t happen anyway. We fear there will be a disaster only to find balloons when we arrive.

Take heart. If we’re diligent and thoughtful each step of the way, we don’t have to fret over contingencies down the road. Don’t worry about what may or may not happen; stick by Jesus and He will work it all out in the end.

What’s your next step? When will you take it?