Author: Kim

Better Than Yesterday

Published on by Kim

Often, especially at the start of the year, we get overwhelmed by the ideal. We want to accomplish. We want to be. We want to do.

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The ideal may be good and true. But this life is a journey. Sanctification is a process. We become better over time, not with a magic wand in a moment. Remember, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Looking at an ideal or an ambitious goal is usually intimidating and overwhelming. But take a deep breath, step back, and adjust.

What if you simply work toward today being better than yesterday?

  • Day-by-day dependence on God highlights his daily grace in your life and provision of daily bread.
  • Steady progress over time is healthy and sustainable. (Healthy living vs. diets, anyone?)
  • A clean slate each day is a motivating fresh start when needed. If the best you could hope for today was keeping your head above water — tomorrow is coming!

Take advantage of the resources available to you, whether that be through people you know or online or at the library. We are blessed with so much to use for learning and growing. A friend encouraging along the way and holding you accountable helps a ton (and keeps you from settling for less out of laziness or discouragement). Technology has downsides, but it also offers many tools for supporting your personal growth.

Just one bite. A little bit better today. Just better. Just today.

Consider: “Beholding and Becoming”

Published on by Kim

Beholding and Becoming: The Art of Everyday Worship by Ruth Chou Simons is a beautiful exploration of beholding God in worship and becoming more like Him in daily life.  Here are two excerpts (pgs. 196 & 199) from this book:

Perhaps, like Martha, in our task-mindedness, we forget that rest — ceasing from work and being still before the Lord — is not a luxury; rest is productive.

How often I look at the mess in my home…and roll my eyes at the idea of rest… But God Himself, who rested after six days of creating the heavens and the earth, didn’t set the example for rest to simply give us a break but rather to be our rest.

Like Martha, we spin and toil anxiously over “many things,” and often forget to choose the portion that is most necessary. We think if a luxury to rest because we think everything depends on us. The Martha mindset puts my own abilities and resources on center stage, but a Mary posture looks to Jesus.

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In our present cultural glorification of busy, we can choose to see our to-do lists, calendars, and schedules differently. It’s not that Jesus didn’t expect work to be done, meals to be made, and tables to be set; He simply called Martha to recognize opportunity for best in the midst of all that was good. All work, no matter how needed and useful, becomes anxious toiling if not fueled by our most-needed sustenance: rest in the Lord.

These books are set here as possibilities for you to explore. Posts and links are not endorsements or paid publicity.