Tomorrow

… do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. 

(Matthew 6:34, NKJV)

Planning as an activity requires that we do not just see the present moment but that we also see the future outcome that we want to achieve.  This does not matter whether we are planning for a big corporate event or just planning our day, we look into what we want to achieve then work backwards to where we are.  This in itself is a helpful skill to have for it helps us to prepare for the future possibility, it also helps us to organize how to overcome or mitigate some of the obstacles which might come our way along the journey.  For whatever we do, planning is important.  Have you however noticed that some of the challenges or successes we expect in the future do not play out as we had anticipated?  In our careful planning, we do not want to leave anything to chance and so we spend time to cover those issues which might interfere with our success, only to find that some of these issues do not materialize at the end.  Yes, we satisfy ourselves that we have covered all angles, but the truth is that we cannot guarantee how it will all turn out.  Despite our trying, we are not able to totally control the conditions of the future and an acknowledge of this humbles us.

Our reference verse reminds us to consider what we need to do today, powerfully making a note that the troubles of today are enough.  There is always something that needs doing at any one time and we are unsettled when we have nothing to do.  This is the nature of our lives, we look out for what needs doing forgetting that at times, we do not need to do anything but just need to be.  Our action-oriented lives takes away the opportunity of connecting with our spiritual side where we rest in Christ.  It might be what is required is silence - giving us moments of prayer, moments of worship.  The quiet space to engage in the spirit is often stolen by our own concerns for what we cannot handle, the tomorrow which is not in our hands.  Carrying the fears and worries of how tomorrow or the future will be , denies us the strength to handle the issues of today.  Often we find ourselves and others say, ’when this happens… I will be happy’.  The answers to the dash are many and they never tend to end, that means, we keep waiting for the time we consider ideal, so that we can be happy.  We deny ourselves the moment of happiness because we are waiting for the ideal conditions in the future.  Carrying tomorrow’s burden today steals the moments of our today, the bible tells us to do what we can do today.

Beloved, God gives us the grace for each step of our journey, focusing on a futuristic step we have not reached into only frustrates us as grace for that level has not yet been realized.  The word of God says that God’s mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23).  Just like God provided manna to the children of Israel each day, there is a fresh release of mercy and strength on a daily basis.  That which is released today is for today, there will be a new release for tomorrow.  Jesus told us not to worry about what we shall eat or drink, He reminded us that the birds of the air are fed and the flowers are clothed yet they do not labour for these things (Matthew 6:27-34).  In this powerful message, He tells us that to our Father in heaven, we are worth more than the birds of the air and so His care for us is assured.  This passage clearly brings us to the fact that though we worry, we cannot help ourselves.  We are to seek the Kingdom of God first and God will handle that which concerns us.  Brethren, as God who is faithful to His word takes care of our tomorrow, let us not be those who rob our today of its joy and energy, let us live in today’s grace.

Thoughts:

What is your experience of worrying for what you could not control?

What about tomorrow are you worried?

How are you dwelling in the grace for today?