This life doesn’t get fixed overnight. I wish often that it would. In the song “Even If”, he expresses this frustration beautifully.
“I know you’re able and I know you can save through the fire with your mighty hand, but even if you don’t, my hope is you alone.”
Oftentimes, in fact I would say most times, God doesn’t just sweep us up out of the midst of the fire and rescue us in a miraculous blaze of glory. Oh, how I wish He did! But one thing that consistent dieting taught me. You have to celebrate every small victory. Persistence ALWAYS overcomes resistance. ALWAYS! When you lose 1/2 a pound, celebrate it! When you do one extra push up celebrate that! When you have a kind word with your difficult ex, celebrate it. When you child has a good day at school, celebrate it. When you get through a difficult phone call with a customer, celebrate it. Progressively, over time, one small victory at a time, you will see progress. I lost 82 pounds in a year and a half doing weight watchers. That didn’t happen overnight. Lord, if it would have happened overnight, what an amazing blessing that would have been! But honestly, today, I probably would have regained that and plus some. God allows us the small progressions and the little victories so that we can learn to be disciplined and learn to sustain. Not only have I lost the weight, but I’ve been able now to keep it off. Why? Because it wasn’t a fad diet. It was a change in my lifestyle and my discipline. It is a daily choice to say “I will eat this healthier option instead of that less healthy option”, because I have decided to live in this new way.
This is just how life works with God too. One small victory at a time. When a woman paid for my food in the drive thru line, thank you God! I will celebrate that little victory! When my son came skipping happily out of school one day, thank you God for that! I can see that he is full of joy and that makes me so happy. When I got the kids to bed at a decent hour tonight, God I know that is your provision. When $20 more then I was expecting shows up, I know that was you too Lord. Celebrating the small victories is so important, because it helps you track your progress. It gives word to what it really is. A true blessing. And this is God’s way of helping me sustain every day. My daily bread.
So today, I choose to rely on God and God will provide. Then tomorrow, well maybe I’m having a bad day, but God still will provide. I have to look for the silver linings every moment of every day. God’s hand is always in it. All you have to do is look, recognize it for what it truly is – God’s provision, and thank Him. My life has started to shift so much.
And this will overflow into my future too. I don’t know how to be the wife that my some day husband needs. Not yet. But every day, I am getting one day closer to the promise. Every day that passes is one more day to learn how to be the wife that he will need. Every day is one day closer to my promised land. And today is my chance to have joy. God will give me just enough to sustain me through today, and little by little he is changing my heart. He is creating in me the woman that my someday husband will need.
Matthew 12:31-32
He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
Levi Lusko made 4 points which are critical to making step by step changes towards the big end goal. First is choose a keystone habit – something that is going to overflow and spill into the rest of your life. Well, my end goal is to someday have a God filled marriage. Right now, in this period of grieving and sadness, that is a far off and hard goal to accomplish.
So I’m taking a very small step first. Point two was to spell it out specifically. My specific, first, small step is to find joy in my daily life. So I am making it a point daily to find 3 things I am grateful for and focus every day on those.
The third point was to track it diligently. It works with weight watchers, so I am sure it works with life too! Making a point to write it down and keep track when things go well or when things don’t.
And then guarding your progress aggressively. For me, this is recognizing my pearls for what they are and making sure I only share them with those who will also recognize their value.
Lord, you are good. I know that daily making an effort to find joy and recognize your hand in my life, I am going to get through this grief and find your glory shining out of me.
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