Taking It One Day At A Time

27 Nov Taking It One Day At A Time

Last Sunday, we held Westwood’s annual Thanksgiving Lunch. Once again, it was a great day of food and community, of friends and conversation, of laughter and thankfulness! As I was driving home, it struck me that Thanksgiving is this week and, for many of us, is the kick-off of the holiday season. That being said, over the last few years, I have tried not to focus on the ‘season’ but to take each day one at a time. I think this ‘practice’ has helped me manage all the activity and noise the season brings. The key to the one day at a time approach is to prioritize what is important to you and eliminate what is not. The frustration to the ‘one day at a time approach’ is that other people in your life will have other priorities which can negatively affect how your day plays out!
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Incorporating healthy practices during times of conflicting priorities and chaos is what God calls us to do. The seasons of the liturgical calendar are a great example; Lent, Easter, and the season we are currently in, Advent. Advent is the time during the year when we are called prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of Christ. But, I don’t believe we can be in Advent, a period of devout and joyful expectation, and not be deliberate in our thoughts, behavior, and daily practices.
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During this Advent season, our congregation has been exploring the practice of ‘looking up.’ Taking the time to open ourselves up to the new, the ancient, the unique, and the common. But here again, looking up requires us to incorporate this new practice in our daily routine. For me, looking up has changed me in three ways.
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– First, I have noticed how spectacular the full moon is and how bright the stars are in November!

– Second, I have found myself talking to God in more casual ways and much more often each day.

– And third, I am more aware of every single day – what I have done, who I have talked to, how I feel, and the feelings of others.
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My prayer for you is to have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a blessed Advent. Don’t let this time slip away and be lost in all the other days of your lives, because today, well, it only comes once.
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Pastor Kathy Cannon is currently (but not for too much longer) the Family Life Pastor. She is responsible for children’s and youth ministries and all church parties!