Dead-End Road
“Don’t worry at all then about tomorrow. Tomorrow can take care of itself! One day’s trouble is enough for one day.” Matthew 6:34.
It is very rarely the present moment that causes anxiety.
We might fret about the past-
– or more commonly, worry about the future.
Jesus warns us against it.
Amidst all his profound wisdom that can be sometimes hard to unlock-
– here is one very clear example of godly common sense.
The present is the only real situation we have to confront.
The future does not as yet exist.
When we worry about the future-
– we are essentially worrying about something that is not real.
One reason why worry about the future is so corrosive and so common is that we start creating imaginary futures.
We play the ‘what if’ game and see ourselves overcome by many and varied scenarios.
Most of these will not eventuate.
Jesus seems to be saying that even if they do, we will handle them as they come.
We cannot resolve the issue here and now-
– because the issue does not as yet exist and may never exist.
Of course we plan for the future and think about the future.
But if we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by anxiety-laden future possibilities then we are on a dead-end road!
We are wrestling with phantoms.
And as we do so-
– we risk missing out on what God is doing here and now in our lives.
We risk adding unnecessary burdens to our already challenging present day.
Pray to God that we do not let-
– the possibilities of tomorrow rob us of the certainties of today.