Our key passage is Matthew 6:34 – Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. In other words – today will require all your energy; so focus on today. That sounds simple, but what do you do with all the stuff that concerns you?
Here are Elizabeth’s encouragements to us:
Deal with today – it’s real; it’s true, so you can deal with today.
Here’s how we can practically do that:
- Prepare
Preparing will keep you from worrying. Put the house to bed at night. Clean up the kitchen, run the dishwasher. Know what you’re having for breakfast. Know what’s happening with the family. Know what’s for dinner tomorrow night. Make lunches for tomorrow. Have the keys in their place and phones charged. Run a load of laundry overnight, then put the clothes in the dryer in the morning. Set the table for the next meal. Plan backwards. Decide what time you need to get up to be the woman God would want you to be. Be the woman who isn’t frazzled; know what you’re going to wear.
The next morning prepare your heart with the Lord. Spend time in the Word and in prayer. When were are alone with God, taking from God, we receive everything people will be wanting to take from us the rest of the day. If you have something to give, people will come to you. Meet with God quietly and let your life be polished by Him. This is where you get your instructions for the day. We’re all busy, we all have lots to do, but before things get hectic, prepare yourself for your day by time with the Lord. There is no substitute for that.
- Plan
Have a schedule for the day and also for the long-term things. Be working on getting things done. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Divide up the big jobs into bite-sized pieces so that little by little they get done. - Pray
We don’t do anything without praying. Pray over the schedule. This is where you give it to God. We want Him to manage it. Lay it on His altar. This is Plan A. If someone calls and wants you to do something with them and you know it would interfere with what you had planned, graciously ask if there is another time you could do that. Never say no without saying yes. “No I can’t today, but how about tomorrow?” Give God plan A and you’ll know when He interrupts it and changes it to Plan B. It will be best because it will be His plan. Pray over your day and you won’t be frustrated because you’ll be on the lookout to see what God is going to do – answer and act. You won’t be frustrated. You’ll be looking for what He wants you to do. Make sure that you pray – it’s vital. - Proceed
It’s easy to plan and prepare. Prayer is a little harder, but then finally it’s time to do something about it all and step into your plan. Don’t be anxious about tomorrow – deal with today. It’s time to step into that day. A day is like a pearl. At the end of each day you want to be able to put your head on your pillow and slip a pearl onto a strand because it was a day that you handled the interruptions; you didn’t get frazzled.Every day is a little life. Our whole life is a single day repeated. Even in physical activity, Elizabeth’s challenge is not to look at the whole mountain that needs to be climbed. Take one step at a time. So in our daily lives, we must take one step and proceed into God’s will for this one day. God will provide for us. According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: II Peter 1:3
Charlie Brown in the Peanuts comic strip said, “I used to try to take each day as it came, but my philosophy has changed, I’m down to half a day at a time!” So whether it’s your half day or your whole day, live it for God and let that help you win over worry.
With love,
RefreshHer 
I had some similar thoughts this morning, Denise. Thinking on what I know to be true! Thanks for your calls yesterday. Love ya!
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