One Small Victory A Day

Some days, no matter what we do, we can’t help but feeling the sting of defeat. Life is not even close to being Pinterest perfect. We have a long check list and only a couple of check marks to show for it…so we feel like a failure. We can’t get our finances under control, and the bills are piling up…so we feel like a failure. We are alone and loneliness is overwhelming…so we feel like a failure. We can’t seem to ever being able to get that “yes” at the end of a long line of “no’s”…so we feel like a failure. It doesn’t matter the cause of our deflated sense of self, our soul is trampled upon and we can’t cheer up. Asphyxiated by our insecurities we struggle to move on.

Here are a couple of passages that should remind us we are overcomers!

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For your sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Romans 8: 35-37

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5: 4-5

The voices of defeat often drown the voice of Truth. It is our job to equip ourselves with the right tools and strategies so when we find ourselves submerged in the deep waters of perceived failure, we do our part to change our frame of mind and clear the way for our Savior and Rescuer to come and pull us out and sit us on the Rock. How to do this? As a complement to intentionally looking up Scripture that speaks to us about being victorious, we can also institute the practice of setting ourselves up for one small victory a day.

How does this work? It is up to you. It depends on your day. It has to do with your own situation and abilities. Personally, this is what I do:

*I try to think of something that I can do every day so I can look back at that small victory later in the day and feel a sense of accomplishment. It is just like what the experts recommend when it comes to cleaning and organizing your house. They say to make sure you have one room/space/drawer/closet/desk, etc. that is clean and organized to your liking so when you feel overwhelmed, you can go to that space and breathe! That is a victory!

*Besides my long list of things I have to do this summer, I make a short list (2-3 things) I want to accomplish on a given day.

*Out of that short list I pick out the most challenging/time-consuming/rewarding/important/urgent of the few and say to myself: “If I’m going to done one thing today, with God’s help, it is going to be this!”

*I do it, and then I check it off the list…it feels great! …One small victory a day…This is particularly rewarding in those days we don’t feel like doing anything. On those days when dark clouds cover our spirits, actually accomplishing one small thing feels like a huge victory.

*We tell the enemy that he is not going to win. We are victorious because Christ is in us and He crushes the head of the enemy every time…just speaking these words would constitute our one small victory for the day.

Life is not easy…it is definitively not Pinterest Perfect, but we have victory in Christ.

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15: 57

This is a great song about overcoming, by Mandisa:  Overcomer

Linking with:  The Character Corner, Simply Helping Him