Day by day

A little quotation that jumped out at me while cataloging (emphases original):

One secret of sweet and happy Christian life is in learning to live by the day.  Take no thought for the morrow; only strive to do your very best today.  Begin the day with God.

The Living Way (Oakland, Calif.), v. 4, no. 4 (July 1906)

I think that’s really good advice, and I really needed to hear it, but dang if it’s not hard to live by! 

I think that “learning to live by the day” is something the Lord is trying hammer into me right now.  Last night, I went to bed, but I couldn’t sleep for thinking about what I should be doing in my life now and for the near future.  Either that or falling into that melancholic nostalgia that has been getting me down lately.  I called to the Lord:  “Lord, what do You think?  What do I need to do with my life?”

I sensed the unmistakable small voice telling me, “All you need to do now is go to sleep.”

That wasn’t good enough for me, so I kept pestering Him, and He kept replying, as patient as anything, ”All you need to do now is go to sleep.”

That’s all He gave me.  Finally, probably an hour later, I just went to sleep.  When I woke up this morning, naturally, I really wished I had gotten an extra hour of sleep!  But no matter, I sat down with my Christian Prayer and said Morning Prayer.  And that really brightened my day!  It really is wonderful to “begin the day with God.”  Occasionally, I neglect Morning Prayer and life veers into the doldrums.  When I pick it back up, I can’t believe I ever stopped!  Especially when I myself am always saying that life is much better when I just pray the Divine Office!

I’m still struggling with just living for today… but I’m trying!  I know God is trying to teach me something, and I know I’ll be whooped if I don’t jump to it!  I know how He works: if He can’t make me learn the easy, reasonable way, He will make me learn the hard and sometimes painful way.  I’ve been put through the wringer too many times not to have learned that lesson!

But it is always worthwhile.  I imagine He is just trying to help get me out of the funk I’ve been in… and that’s what I want.  I don’t want to stress out about the future or pine away for the past.  If the Holy Spirit has to bang me over the head, so be it!