# Our Unearned Increment explained — A Day at a Time

> Chapter companion for A Day at a Time by Archibald Alexander.

## What happens

This chapter reflects on Psalm 127:2, emphasizing that God gives to His beloved even while they sleep. It offers comfort to three types of people: the worried, the disappointed, and the Christian worker, encouraging trust in God's providence beyond human effort.

## Themes in this chapter

### Faith and Trust in God

Central theme: trusting God to provide beyond human effort and anxiety.

### Living in the Present

Encourages releasing worry about outcomes and resting in God's present care.

### Hope and Optimism

Disappointments are reframed as potential blessings in disguise, fostering hope.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown

The narrator reflects on the psalm and offers comfort to the worried, disappointed, and worker.

### Jesus Christ

Referenced as the one for whom Christian workers serve and whose likeness is reflected in believers.

### The Lord

Implied as the giver of unearned blessings and the one to trust in sleep.

## Key lines

> He giveth (to) His beloved (in their) sleep.

God provides for those He loves even when they are not actively working.

_Key verse from Psalm 127:2, reinterpreted to emphasize unearned divine gifts._

> Why so hot, little man, why so fiercely clutching all the ropes?

Why are you so anxious and trying to control everything yourself?

_A rhetorical question urging release of worry and trust in God._

> You would think, to see so-and-so shepherding his family, that there was no other providence than his own.

Some people act as if they are the only ones caring for their family, ignoring God's providence.

_Critique of overprotective and anxious parenting._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_day_at_a_time_se/chapters/ix-our-unearned-increment
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_day_at_a_time_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_day_at_a_time_se/chapters