Laundry piles up on the bed and begs to be folded. After-dinner dishes seem to stack themselves in the sink. The weeds in my flowerbeds stare at me, and the vegetables call to be planted in the garden. The list goes on.
Another list grows as well. This one gets longer with each hurt I encounter or hear about. It is a list of prayers and things I could do to help. I have a choice. I can ignore the list, thinking I can’t make a difference, or ask God to reveal to me what He would have me do, through His Holy Spirit.
As with my laundry, which I fold one piece at a time, I pray for needs and hurts – one at a time.
As with the dishes, which I rinse one plate at a time, I take my concerns to God – one at at time.
As with my vegetables, which I plant one at a time, I share and plant God’s Word into the soil of hearts – one a time.
(I wrote this simple poem a while back. I am in awe of how He has answered this request since – in so many unbelievable ways!)
One thousand days,
One thousand paths,
One thousand ways,
Lead me to One.
*
One thousand pains,
One thousand hurts,
One thousand chains,
Lead me to One.
*
One thousand fears,
One thousand hearts,
One thousand tears,
Lead me to One.
*
Abba Father,
Instead of seeing with my eyes,
Help me to see with my heart devoted to You.
Instead of hearing with my ears,
Help me to hear with a soul of compassion.
Instead of walking with my feet,
Help me to walk with my mind steadfast on You,
and step out in faith to
help in Your name –
One hurt at a time
You help us pray one step at a time. God Bless ya. Rosemary
Lets pray God continues to show us what to pray for, and whom to help and encourage… Blessings, Rosemary 🙂
Thank you so so much , Heidi. This was so from Him to me. He’s shown me that I stress out too much, even when I don’t think I am. What better way to handle that then asking Him to show me one thing / person to pray for or one thing to do instead of the thousand that are running through my head!
God bless you for your faithfulness! Does J know you have this blog? She would love it!! 🙂
Blessings to you as you seek His will one thing/person at a time 🙂 … hope you are well, dear friend! Not sure if J knows …
Then I’ll send your posts to her, so she does! 🙂
🙂
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Thank you for the re-blog 🙂
Heidi, the poem and the images capture so precisely what our focus must be. Christ MUST lead every endeavor. He must direct our steps, lest we become entangled in the many things calling to us in our heads. I needed this so much because I am a Martha who sometimes tries to do it all! Thanks so much.
Yes, Christ must lead …. He was the best example, wasn’t He! The Word shows us how He did the next thing and the Holy Spirit makes it all so relevant for us today. I pray we find some time to sit at His feet this weekend, and chose the “better thing” like Mary and then keep going to the “next thing” … Thanks, Sue
Heidi, this is so inspirational! It is so easy to get overwhelmed and not bother. The picture and your wise words remind us that we can reach His goals one step at a time.
Blessings ~ Wendy
Thank you, Wendy … Isn’t is mind boggling that the God of the Universe would ask us to do anything. I often feel like a clumsy child helping the Father (and when I am done, He has to do a lot of cleaning up) … but nonetheless He wants us to join Him… to teach us what His heart is all about .. Blessings to you as you work with Him and for Him 🙂
Beautiful, simple words …. and so wise, Heidi. This reminds me of Elisabeth Elliot’s words for dealing with the hard things in life, “Just do the next thing.” And if we do the next thing with a kingdom perspective and the love of Christ abounding, He will receive the glory. Blessings!
Yes, “…the next thing with a kingdom perspective and the love of Christ abounding…” Let’s pray His love will abound more and more in our hearts and that the “next thing” would be accomplished with less of us and more of Him… Thank you so much for those words, full of grace and His love … Blessings
I like that all of these “many” lead to the One. Sometimes prayer is the BEST we can do. God bless you BIG–love, sis Caddo
Everything eventually leads to Him, doesn’t it 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you for a wonderfully healing post Heidi. The needs of all whom we know directly or are lead to indirectly are overwhelming at times. You have brought this reality into focus and manageability with God’s wisdom in how to cope with the flood of pains and hurts.
Thanks Liana for coming on over… and for leaving your kind words here… God is amazing in showing us when we ask… the other day I prayed before walking in the store for God to show me one person whom to encourage … I only made to the produce, when God orchestrated a conversation with a woman who had just lost her sister. I told her I would pray for her and we talked about the things of faith… Thanks again for your faithful heart toward Jesus … you bless many 🙂
Love the focus on the one thing I can do. “One at a time” takes the pressure off what could be so overwhelming I don’t do anything at all. Thank you!
Thank you Patty, for stopping in … God is a kind Father, one that does not exasperates us with His demand and things to do … He shows us -when we walk closely by His side, in the Spirit- the next one thing … so, yes, we don’t have to get overwhelmed … just obey!
This is such great wisdom – I remember when my son was becoming depressed about how to get into a college and what to do at the beginning of his Sr Year in HS, he heard a simple message – basically this one, and it literally transformed his life. Since he began taking one thing at a time and doing what he could – he has been wonderfully calm and focussed.
thanks Heidi.
Praise the Lord that your son was able to focus on that … Thanks for your comment, Ben.Thanks also for instructing us through you blog … one post at a time 🙂
When I look at all the pain, all the hurt, all the destruction going on I get so overwhelmed . . . I like this looking at them one at a time approach, maybe then it won’t seem so overwhelming. Thanks for sharing this Heidi ~ Blessings ~
Thank you Deb, for sharing all those wonderful poems from your heart … One at time they are making a difference for Jesus 🙂 Blessings to you as you are a blessing to us!
What a beautiful way to describe the awesome collision of the commonplace with the work of the Kingdom of God.
Blessings
-Jen
http://thelilyandthemarrow.wordpress.com/
God is so good and so very practical… real and there for us to see Him, through the Holy Spirit 🙂 Thanks for your visit, Jen … Blessings to you!
Stunning!!!!!!!! Totally relate 🙂 Grace, I tell yah, grace!
Awesome post!
Yes, all by His grace! Praise Him… from whom all blessings flow 🙂 Thanks for visiting, Geraldine