Larry was in an interesting guy. He always drove a brand new car; usually a Mercedes. He wore the latest fashions. He loved people and he had a consuming desire to love life.
Larry was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease approximately three years ago. He went home to be with the Lord two years after that, and yet his influence is still felt in my life today.
Larry gave me a great tool that I still use in my morning devotions. He called it his “Just for Today List.” His Just for Today list was a working list of attitudes and actions he felt the Lord wanted him to address. He called it “Just for Today” because that reminded him to remain focused on the present instead being so consumed by the future. When Larry shared the tool with me it was exactly what I needed.
I’m good at making lists. However, my lists usually included things I wanted to do or accomplish, not things God wanted me to improve. Rarely had I ever made a list of what I should become. Thanks to Larry, I now usually make a “Just for Today” list before I prepare my To Do list.
Provided below is a sample of my “Just for Today” list. I share it with you, speculating if it might help you think of some things the Lord wants you to address.
Just for Today
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
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Just for today I will humble myself before you Lord, because Your word says You oppose the proud but give grace to the humble.
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Just for today my attitude will be the same as that of Christ Jesus.
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Just for today I will look for ways to encourage others.
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Just for today I will not be in a hurry.
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Just for today I will not be greedy; instead, I will trust You by being generous to those around me.
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Just for today I will finish reading a book I started reading last weekend.
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Just for today I will do everything for Your glory.
Ryan, You are such an inspiration to me (and many, many others)! You inspire me to want to be a better person, more focused, more aware of what the Lord wants me to do day by day. I started a new adventure yesterday: I’m taking a 3-day course (1 day a week for 3 wks) learning Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Yesterday I had to write a personal mission statement. I had thought about it before but it seemed like too daunting a task so I never tried. But yesterday I did it (rough draft) and it has given me a whole new perspective on how I want to serve the Lord and become all He wants me to be. Is it sad or funny that I’m 56 years old and just now writing down the mission and purpose of my life? I’m sure more than half my days have passed and I have fewer left than I have lived, but when I wrote my mission and purpose, I realized that I actually have been fulfilling what I believe the Lord’s purpose for me is, but now I have a guide to hold myself to, by which I can evaluate myself at certain times to make sure I’m still on the right path. One thing I have learned to do (that I’ve done for a while but didn’t know what “it” was until Bro Don said it at Dan Tucker’s funeral), I have learned to look at life through the “eyeballs of eternity”. Do you remember that? That was an AHA! moment for me. Thank you for your inspriation and your leadership! I couldn’t ask for a better teacher!! You are truly a blessing!