Little by Little

 I don't know about you, but my days can become overwhelming quickly. It usually starts with my hyperactive mind running through all the things I should do today. All the things I need to do today and a realistic look at what I might be able to accomplish today. If I am not careful, I will end up sinking into the emotional mire and getting about half of what needs to be done completed. The good news is that I have found a couple of strategies that help me keep going so that at least the essentials are done.

One of these strategies is to focus on the day's tasks one at a time, little by little. It's so easy for the list to grow and start casting a shadow on my day, and the funny (not haha funny, either) thing is that it usually starts while I am doing the caregiving stuff. Usually, I make a list and have things running in my mind, but when I go into my son's room to start the morning get-up-and-going routine, my mind starts running away, and my heart stops dropping at how far behind I am before I even get started. (Maybe it's just me?)

The problem is that my own thoughts and emotions can sabotage me and render me mostly useless. I'll end up sipping coffee and staring at the wall too much. But if I can nip it in the bud, and just focus on what I am doing in the moment, I get a lot more done. I just have to pick something to do and stick with it until it's done - then pick one more thing to do until it's done. At the end of the day, I have more done than I would have had I taken time to stew over the load. Little by little, it all gets done.

Psalm 138:3 reminds us that God gives us the strength we need for the day. That's all we have to focus on anyway, just working through the day with the support of His grace and mercy. The good news here is that He's already given us what we need for today, before we got overwhelmed. Before we got sucked into a vicious emotional cycle. Before anything "got to us" - His strength was there.

Today, I'll remind myself that He's provided exactly what I need for today. I will tell myself that I can tackle this day and every caregiving task necessary through the grace and mercy that He already gave. Little by little, I can get through today as I continue to remind myself to lean into His heart over and over. My meditations will be on how He already prepared this day for me and me for this day - together, God and I can take it on and win in the end. I am determined to trust Him little by little for each little thing until I'm at the end of the day realizing how He carried me. I believe little by little, I can trust Him for one more day. Will you join me?

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Book of the Week!

Making of a Leader is the book of the week this week. It's a short course for Christian leaders, or for anyone who just wants to grow. 500 copies have already been translated into Urdu and distributed to churches in Pakistan, and we're moving toward a second printing! The eBook is available on the Dove's Fire Ministries Bookstore website. You can also get a print version or Kindle version from my Amazon bookstore.