"Train-ticket" Strength

"You just have to take one day at a time."

"Daily-sufficient grace/strength."

"Just focus on today."

  Yeah, those are nice thoughts. But what do they actually mean? I never really understood that until a few weeks ago when those words became a part of how I live. So when I thought my 9th grade year was crazy, I was not at all prepared for my sophomore year! It's so far the busiest year of my life! I just don't have the time and strength to keep up with school and homework, Bible study preparations, my spiritual life, and my emotions. I look ahead and think "how am I going to have time to study for that? When will that assignment get done?"
 
   But then it gets deeper than that. I'll look ahead at the next week with all of the business and struggles that come with that and wonder how I am going to be able to stand that after I barely made it through a day. I look even farther ahead in my life and think about things like when my friends graduate, some of whom I know I probably won't see much after that, and wonder how I'm going to be able to handle that; or how I'm going to deal with Bryan moving out of the house; or how I'll deal with things like deaths.
 
I was reading The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom for school this past week. One of the many things I learned had to do with this.
 
   "...death had only been a word. Now I knew that it could really happen--if to the baby, then to Mama, to Father, to Betsie!...
   At last we heard Father's footsteps winding up the stairs....But that night as he stepped through the door I burst into tears. 'I need you!' I sobbed. 'You can't die! You can't!'...
   Father sat down on the edge of the narrow bed. 'Corrie,' he began gently, 'when you and I go to Amsterdam--when do I give you your ticket?'
     I sniffed a few times, considering this. 'Why, just before we get on the train.'
    'Exactly. And our wise Father in Heaven knows when we're going to need things too. Don't run ahead of Him, Corrie, When the time comes that some of us will have to die, you will look into your heart and find the strength you need--just in time."

  Right now, I don't have the strength to make it through any tremendous tragedy. I don't even have the strength to make it through the whole month of November. I have the strength to make it through the day. When the time comes for something huge to happen in my life, God will give me the strength to deal with that just at the right time.

  That's why I've been learning to live day by day. If I jump ahead, I get depressed, stressed, and frustrated. If I can take one day at a time, I can focus better on glorifying God that day. I can deal with all the frustrations that come with that day. God gives me "daily-sufficient grace," and that's what I've been learning to rely on. I can't imagine people I'm close to now eventually leaving my life. I can't imagine surviving half the struggles I'm going to go through in my life. But I don't need to. I only need to trust God because He promises to give strength me the I need in the times I need it most.

Just my thoughts this past week :)