One Day

It happened again today. With no effort on my part, the sun rose, and another day began. It’s happened 21, 810 times since I’ve been alive. Maybe that’s why I take each new day for granted, hardly noticing it as I hurry to get done all that I need to do. I fail to see the day for the gift it is, the grace it offers, or, as a friend of mine often says, as the miracle it is. Every morning I am given this gift, but I look beyond the day at something far beyond and miss the twenty-four hours right before me.

To pull one’s horizon closer can provide a profound and empowering new perspective. Suddenly, an overwhelming goal can become manageable. I once had a history teacher who announced a big term paper at the beginning of the course. It was overwhelming to think about. Instead of leaving us to write the paper on our own, however, he designed the class so that we slowly wrote the paper over the semester. We learned how to write an introduction, then supporting paragraphs, and then a conclusion. When the time came for the term paper to be turned in, the paper was already written. The assignment, which had seemed daunting when first announced, was completely doable when taken one step, or one paragraph, at a time.

Alcoholics have known this for years. The thought of never drinking again is so overwhelming it has caused many to go back out and get drunk. To not drink for a day is another matter. While still a challenge, it’s one many feel they can do. In time, those twenty-four hours become a week, a year, and may even become a lifetime, but it begins with one day.

Lao Tzu reminded us that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, but, like so many things, we can take such a thought for granted. Like not noticing the promise of each dawn, we can focus on the miles ahead and not the next step we need to take.

I’m not a very good Christian, if one measures such things by behavior. I’m not as forgiving as I believe Christians are called to be, nor as thoughtful, loving, or morally pure. The idea of living life as a Christian is overwhelming, if not impossible. Just to believe what a Christian is asked to believe sometimes feels impossible. A life of faith can look like a lot more than a thousand miles when you look too far in the distance. But, this morning’s dawn offered me the opportunity to try once again, to take one step. I may not be able to live a certain way, or believe certain things, for the rest of my life, but maybe, just maybe, I can for a day. And, maybe, that’s enough.

Extra Credit:

1) What challenge have you faced that overwhelmed you because you looked too far ahead?

2) What do you think you could do if you only had to do it (or not do it) for twenty-four hours?

3) Who could you be if you only had to be that person for a day?

4) Get up early and watch the sun rise and think about all the grace a new day offers.