One Step At A Time

I just bought a couple of patio chairs that came together in a single box. When I opened it, I saw they were in multiple pieces. Laying them out on the floor, I was discouraged. “This is going to take forever!”

I tried to envision what parts went where and the quickest and easiest way to get the project done. Then I saw the instructions. Step one, step two, step three, and so on. But even as I was completing the simple first step, I kept looking at the other parts, trying to figure out how they fit in with what I was doing. That didn’t help.

So I just did step one. Took me 3 minutes. Then step 2. Then step 3. Before I knew it, I was looking at the finished project. Now I’m sitting in one of those chairs writing this.

It’s like every difficult trial and major project in front of me that had me bewildered. And most of you know the Ziegler family is facing something like that right now.

Bob and Lynn Hassel gave me the perfect advice a couple of weeks ago. It was just like putting together this complicated set of patio chairs. They told me, “Just one step at a time. One day at a time.” And they reminded me of what Jesus taught—we have the strength to deal with today, but not when we add tomorrow’s worries on top of the pain we have today.

So it’s one step at a time. Every time we start looking too far ahead, we get overwhelmed. When we focus on the step in front of us, we can handle it.

I’m also in the middle of some pretty big church projects. If you were at our annual celebration, you know what I’m talking about. And just this morning, I broke those projects into steps…now focusing on one step at a time.

What are you overwhelmed with right now?

If you are a new parent, stop thinking about how you’re going to get that kid into college. Just focus on getting him to sleep all night. One step at a time.

If you are starting out in a career, I know it’s easy to jump ahead with plans. And I’m not saying you shouldn’t look to the big picture. But when you have the end goals in mind, you have to break it down into steps and bring your focus to the simple step in front of you. Simplify the complicated by focusing on one step at a time.

Our long-term goal is really all about honoring God and surrendering the details to Him. Then focus on the step in front of us.

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today” (Matthew 6:34 NLT).