A Pair-of-Docs: The Serenity Prayer #3 Living One Day At A Time

 

A Pair-of-Docs: The Serenity Prayer #3 Living One Day At A Time

 

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

 

Living one day at a time;

enjoying one moment at a time;

accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

taking, as He did, this sinful world

as it is, not as I would have it;

trusting that He will make all things right

if I surrender to His Will;

that I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with Him

forever in the next.

Amen.

 

Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it…

 

In this session we are going to consider how to activate this portion of the Serenity Prayer, living one day at a time and dealing with hardships in our lives.

 

1.     In the Now

Living one day at a time is living in the now.  It is being present and aware of what is going on inside of you and what’s going on around you.

Increases self-control

Connects with others

 

Living in the preset leads to living an abundant life.  It is in the moment that your decisions and actions create a desirable future.  It’s in the moment you have the power to choose.

 

Fixating on the past or the future prevents you from living in the present.

 

2.      Living in the Past

Two major characteristics of living in the past are”

A.    Constantly reveling in the glory days.

It’s not about who you were, or what you did, it’s about who you are.

 

Philippians 3:13-14 (MSG)

Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.

 

B.    Allowing the past to define who you are today.  Deal with the regret, guilt, pain, or shame of the past don’t dwell in it.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (MSG)

Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it!

 

Don’t deny the past, deal with it.

 

Those who live “among the thorns of the past cannot see themselves clear of the cares of their inner world where their “remember when” overwhelm their future and their present” (Living In The Present Moment: 5 Bible Verses For Living In The Eternal Now (whosoever.org).

 

The two major characteristics of living in the future are:

 

A.   Worrying about what might happen.

Build for the future do not dread the future.

Matthew 6:27-33 (MSG)

"Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

 

Planning is important, you are preparing for the future. Worry makes you passive and a victim.

 

B.    Waiting for the ship to come in.

Hoping for good outcomes without working towards them.

“Those that are living in the future are always thinking about “one day” when they will be happy, “one day” when they will have abundance, “one day” when they will have the perfect partner.” (Living In The Present Moment: 5 Bible Verses For Living In The Eternal Now (whosoever.org)

Proverbs 6:6-11 (MSG)

You lazy fool, look at an ant. Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two. Nobody has to tell it what to do. All summer it stores up food; at harvest it stockpiles provisions.  So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing?  How long before you get out of bed? A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there, sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next? Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life, poverty your permanent houseguest!

 

Summary of living in the past and living in the future

 

Living in the now is so difficult because we are always encouraged to think about the future or dwell on our past.

( How to Live in the Moment: 35+ Tools to Be More Present (positivepsychology.com)\

 

“Living in a future world that does not exist and lamenting or longing for a past that has indeed passed, creates a  person who never shows up in the present moment, the only time that is real is therefore missed completely.  Mark her or him “absent” from their lives”  ( Planning for the Future—in the Present | Psychology Today).

 

3.     How to Live in the Present

Living one day at a time is to stop focusing on the past, with its successes and failures.

 

Living one day at a time is to stop focusing on what might happen instead of working on what you want to happen.

 

Living one day at a time means you are staying focused on how you are feeling inside.  You have to permit yourself to feel ALL THE FEELS.

Living One Day at a Time, Enjoying One Moment at a Time... | Functionalish

 

“Feel the present moment fully and all your “oughts” and “shoulds” will take care of themselves”  Living In The Present Moment: 5 Bible Verses For Living In The Eternal Now (whosoever.org).

 

Living one day at a time means you control what you are thinking.

 

2 Corinthians 10:5 (MSG)

We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.

 

What you concentrate on is what you gravitate towards.

 

Living one day at a time requires that you live for something bigger than yourself.

 

Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

“…seek first his kingdom and his righteousness…”

 

A reason to live.  How can I make someone’s life better today?  How can I accomplish Kingdom ministry?

 

Matthew 6:34 (MSG)

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

 

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why it is called the present.