A new year is right around the corner and as I think of this year, I am grateful for so many things, in spite of the pandemic. There is one Principle in CR I am especially grateful for this time of year as I focus on my year-end personal inventory, and that is Principle 7: “Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will.” Step 10 is included in this principle: “We continued to take a personal inventory and when were wrong promptly admitted it.” To the extent that I do this daily discipline will I reap the rewards of a life that is less chaotic and selfish and more loving and fruitful.

 

The idea that someday I will get around to making amends or forgiving someone is tantamount spiritual procrastination. God encourages me to do it today; Satan always says you can do it tomorrow. When you start piling up a lot of tomorrows that amends list gets pretty long and if I continue to ignore it, I will get overwhelmed with relational baggage that I have been unwilling to unpack and let go of, sound familiar? I don’t do this step perfectly but I do it much better than I used to.

 

I don’t do well with the self-will approach to life. When I start my day with God, I learn to lean on his power and grace to meet the demands of my reality, At the end of the day I spend time in review, thanking God for the insight and direction he gives and for seeing me through another day; the good, the bad, and sometimes the ugly.

 

Don’t wait for the New Year to get started on the changes you need to make in your life. Focus on Jesus and do what you can today for today is all you have.

“Don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time.” Matthew 6:34