DAY BY DAY

Yes, day by day, even minute by minute, God does work everything out for our good!

 

Some of you faithful readers or people that know me personally might recall that three years ago I was transferred to a new position at my work place…Basically demoted because of my college degree and part time status.

 

As usually happens when something, not in “our” plan, happens we might not see God’s hand at work in the situation until later.

I would say that was definitely the case with my transfer. I do recall definitely feeling God’s hand in my life providing this new position that was offered to me especially as there are very few part time positions available.

 

The blessing of much less stress, bordering more on no stress anymore, was a big one. Interacting with different people was definitely another one. Going from an environment of about five people to a room full of at least 125 was a second positive. Yes, it has forced me to be friendlier, which has led me to even make sure while walking through the hallways in the entire building, trying to make eye contact with people, smile, and say a friendly “good morning” or “hello” to hopefully brighten their day.

That also translated into trying to be friendly and encouraging to four people I only have email contact with from a satellite office about an hour away. Our contact is daily though.

 

Photo courtesy of jubileelewis under Creative Commons License (CC BY 2.0)

 

It was a blast a few months after starting the new position that the one gal and I actually got together despite the long distance. As that friend is also a dance studio teacher I had the pleasure of attending one of her recitals that year. I figured it was a good road trip to embark upon to do something different though I never ended up seeing her that night.

 

While emailing our daily work to each other, it didn’t take long for our emails to progress to slipping in a few “personal” things in there like checking to see how the weekend went and what we were both up to. Being friendly has proven to make the working relationship better too… Having each other’s back as we verify our work.

 

 

 

It was real special to me that since this gal knows I share these weekly thoughts, that one recent day, her email mentioned a song she was listening to, one that she actually choreographed a dance routine for!

 

She asked if I had heard the song “Day by Day” from the musical Godspell and suggested it would be a great song to pen some thoughts on. How could I refuse a challenge like that?

 

Photo courtesy of Broadway Tour by Creative Commons License (CC BY-SA 2.0)

 

It was actually a pretty proud moment, for non musical me, when I was able to eventually email her back and say I actually did recall hearing the song before after originally saying I probably wouldn’t know the song!

I do believe the lyrics provide a great reminder for us on what we should keep our focus on while we go about living in this life day by day.  See if you agree.

 

Day by Day (you can lick the blue link to listen to the song) has a rather catchy tune with the lyrics repeating to help reinforce the thoughts in my humble opinion.  Though Godspell originally debuted off Broadway back in 1971, I do believe the message of the song Day by Day has withstood the test of time. Yes, it is still effective today!

 

The lyrics of the song that repeat are:

 

Day by day

Day by day

Oh Dear Lord

Three things I pray

To see thee more clearly

Love thee more dearly

Follow thee more nearly

Day by day

 

 

Yes, what if we lived day by day, moment by moment, praying and living out the three main ideas mentioned in the song?

 

 

SEE CLEARLY

 

Do you SEE Jesus CLEARLY day by day…

…in nature

…in others

…in yourself

…in circumstances that occur in your life

…in the storms of your life?

 

 

 

 

LOVE DEARLY

 

Do you love Jesus dearly day by day…

…by continually offering praise to Him

…by sharing the good news with others

…by telling others of His goodness in your life

…by showing kindness in His name

…by thanking Him for working in your life?

 

 

 

FOLLOW NEARLY…

 

Do you follow Jesus more nearly day by day….

…by reading scripture

…by praying unceasingly

…by reading inspiring books, posts

…by listening to encouraging music

…by surrendering your life to Him?

 

 

Can I also challenge you to not only see, love and follow Jesus more day by day but also others that are a part of your life even stretching yourself to see, love, and follow those who might not normally be a part of your “circle” of people?

 

Can you….

see Jesus clearly…..

–in the poor person sitting on the street waiting for some coins to be thrown his way

–in the person who has no winter coat to keep warm

–in the person who is physically challenged needing a hand with their groceries?

 

love dearly…..

–welcoming the stranger who looks different from you maybe even having a noticeable physical ailment

–giving generously to help a person in a foreign country who needs a sponsor to help with the necessities of life

–the person who needs a ride to get to church?

 

 

follow nearly….

–to see the person who you can pray with and for who needs some extra prayer to help them through a rough patch

–by sharing some Christian music to help another in their walk with the Lord

–through giving some encouraging book or website that has helped you grow spiritually?

 

 

This week be encouraged…

 

Day by day

Day by day

Oh Dear Lord

Three things I pray

To see thee more clearly

Love thee more dearly

Follow thee more nearly

Day by day!

 

No, the LORD has told us what is good. What he requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God.   –Micah 6:8  (GNT)

Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD.  And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’  The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”   –Mark 12:29-31 (NLT)