One Day

 

If we could somehow turn the volume on to the thoughts of those around us, we would probably hear a similar expression of concern coming from different people. “What’s happening to the world?” “How are things going to be a year from now?” “Are we heading into a recession?” “Should I find a new job?” “Should I retire?” “Will my children be safe?” “Are things going to keep getting worse?” “Will I be able to afford groceries?”

Although those are all different in many ways, they are all linked in one similar expression of concern. What will “tomorrow” bring?

We often become transfixed on the scary “what if’s” of tomorrow and as we do, we slowly squeeze out the presence of hope and joy in our lives today.

Our minds race from short term to long term worries in an instant. We start to hold ourselves and our lives in a posture of preparation and anticipation; not for anything good…but for those worst-case scenarios swimming through our minds.

“One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision.” -Acts 10:3

“One day”

If we get too transfixed on the worries of tomorrow, we’ll forget the promises of today! “One day”. That could be today!

What about all the good that can happen in a day, a moment or an instant?

In one day, a marriage might start to move towards the healing grace it needed.

In one day, a person can find a cure to disease.

In one day, someone might take a step towards healing their addiction.

One day can change allot. I also love the specifics of this texts. “One day at about three in the afternoon…..” That’s pretty specific.

For me one day at about 12:30pm I received a call from my seminary telling me that there was a donor that wanted to pay for my entire seminary education. The unbelievable thing is, that no one knew that I had just realized days before that I wouldn’t be able to continue seminary that next semester because I could not afford the cost of it. I hadn’t told anyone, but my heart was breaking inside knowing the decision I had to make. But “one day” that all changed with a phone call.

One day my friend finished her last course of chemo and was proclaimed cancer free!

One day someone else I know who thought she was unable to have children became pregnant.

One day could be today.

That one day in Acts 10 was a day that changed the life of a man named Cornelius. It changed not only his life but the apostle Peters life and the life of the gentiles. (Read Acts 10:1-48 to see this incredible story unfold).

There are many “one day” moments in scripture where God shows up in a moment and brings incredible blessings.

But we tend not to focus on that possibility in our lives. We tend to focus on the worst case scenarios and the storms brewing in the distance.

What if we lived our life with the “one day” mentality that anticipated Gods miraculous gifts? What if we woke each morning with the joy of a child and thought about all the wonderful things God had in store for us? What if we lived each day in the promise of His love?

One day. This day. At this moment. God is working in your life! May we have eyes to see the gifts, blessings and abundance right in front of us here and now. Today.

-Pastor Patti