One Day #358

One Day #358

If you’d like to hear this message instead of reading it, tune in to the Living Your Legacy Podcast.

When I penned the words, “It’s a great day to live a great legacy,” little did I know how true they would be. I believe small compounded daily actions can achieve lasting results. Motivation works best for me when it’s in bite-sized pieces. For instance, if I'm told to eat the whole elephant in one bite or climb the mountain in one day, I lose interest. But encourage me to take one bite or one step, I’m all in.

So when I heard these words by Nangten Menglan, “Life is just one day. You’re born on one day and you die on one day. You live in one day -- yesterday is already dead, and tomorrow is yet to be born, too early. Everything is happening today. Today is the only day of your life. What you have is today. Today is the only life you have. We need to make joy or be happy every day, not tomorrow or next year. Do not say, I want a happy life, Instead, say I want a happy day.” My mind, body, and spirit took note because I can do today for today is all I have.

If you read that and think it doesn’t apply to you, then please reread, because it applies to all of us. We are not guaranteed tomorrow, but we are given this moment to make the best of it. God has given us the gift of today. However, many people spend too much time dwelling on their past mistakes by looking in the rearview mirror. Or they only look through the windshield, worrying about tomorrow’s potholes. All the while, we miss the people in the car riding along the journey with us.

This is not about forgetting your past or about not planning your future. It’s simply about relishing in today alone. If you set a goal, then do one small thing towards the overarching goal today; that’s it. One degree or one percent improvement today is an accomplishment. Don’t make it bigger than it needs to be. If you’re granted a 2nd chance tomorrow, then tackle another 1%. This daily 1% change compounds like interest and can drastically change your legacy by improving your life as well as impact future generations.

James 4:14 says it best, “yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” There’s a seriousness in this verse that we should no longer take lightly. We get one life in one day. What will you do with it?

When you take this one-day approach, try not to think doom and gloom. Instead, embrace the opportunities in every moment of the day and cherish them. When you wake up, ask yourself, “What would I do if I only had one day?” Today is the day. Or, “What’s one thing that I’ve been putting off that still needs to be done?” Simply do it. Or, “What’s one lesson that you’d like to share, one compliment you’d give, one more I love you, one risk take or one dollar you’d like to give away. What’s the one burning desire that’s been on your heart for years but life has stood in the way.” Well maybe today is the day to go for it.

Start your day by thanking God for today because you get one day, one life, one legacy to live and that one day’s impact could change someone’s life or their eternity. So I guess it is a great day to live a great legacy afterall.

So if you want to live a legacy that’s remembered for generations then visit, lighthouselegacies.com and listen to the Living Your Legacy Podcast. Don't forget to check out Your Story Matters: The God Stories to read my chapter.