Mental stop sign

I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:8 NIV

It was our first time out in our accessible RV. We would be driving 6 days from our home in Washington State to our destination in Texas. We were only a few hours down the road when we pulled over at a rest stop. My husband asked me if I wanted to get behind the wheel. We knew from the posted signs that the next rest stop was only 30 miles away. It seemed like the perfect time for my first time behind the wheel. Knowing I only had to go 30 miles, I hesitantly got behind the wheel. My heart was pounding as I accelerated down the on-ramp and onto the freeway. As the minutes went by I slowly started loosening my death grip on the steering wheel. Before I knew it the 30 miles had flown by. Feeling more confident, I decided to keep going a little farther. I ended up driving 90 miles. If you would have told me I had to drive 90 miles my first trip out, I doubt I would have been brave enough to try. Knowing I only had a short distance to drive gave me the courage I needed to get behind the wheel. I got past my fear by focusing on 1 mile at a time.

This reminded me of another time in my life when I had to work through fear by staying focused on one day at a time. My son was 4 when he was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Along with the diagnosis we were shown a time-line of what his life would be like. He would slowly loss all strength and probably not live past his early 20s. How do you find the courage to carry on after receiving that prognosis? Early on, a therapist encouraged me to focus on 1 day at a time. To visualize a big, red stop sign when my thoughts strayed too far into the future. She also reassured me that God would be with us taking it one day at a time.

My son is now 20. I cannot tell you how many times I have put that mental stop sign up. I can also see with each physical loss my son has experienced God gave me courage and strength to face each day. He promises that he will give us what we need for whatever our todays bring. His promises continue to hold fast as I face each day. Looking back over the past 16 years since my son’s diagnosis I can tell you there are days that I only made it through by focusing on one day, sometimes one moment at a time.

So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about its self. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34 AMP

Dear heavenly Father, Thank you for your promise to walk right beside us. I pray that you will give us courage and strength to let go of our fears for tomorrow. Take away our fears and anxieties and help us keep our eyes focused only on you not our circumstances.
In Jesus name I pray, Amen

Originally posted Key Ministry fall  devotional   https://keyministry.us12.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=9c469f85e6968241100f1471e&id=e9da33fdd2