Why Stress Today When You Could Stress Tomorrow?

Why Stress Today When You Could Stress Tomorrow?
“Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” -Matthew 6:34

 Are you a worrier? Do you catastrophize? If something unexpected happens, does it throw you for a loop and throw you out of whack? Most of us worry at some point or another. Thankfully, Jesus often talks about worry and anxiety. In fact, he instructs his disciples not to worry five times in Matthew 6 alone.

I want to focus on the fifth and final teaching about worry in this chapter. Jesus says not to “worry about tomorrow” because “each day has enough trouble of its own.” What is Jesus saying?

Throughout his teaching, Jesus emphasizes a “one day at a time” mindset. This mindset is evident in the Lord’s Prayer: “give us this day our daily bread.” The request is simple: “God provide what I need this day.” This same one day at a time mindset is evident in Jesus’s teaching about worry. Every day comes with its own trouble and difficulty. If we pray for daily bread, God will give us the strength we need to deal with today’s troubles, today.

However, if we worry about tomorrow and try to deal with tomorrow’s troubles today, we will overextend the resources which God has provided us.

So here’s my challenge to you this week: let tomorrow worry about itself. Pray for daily bread, deal with today’s challenges today, and trust the Lord with tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Your Pastor and Friend,
John Knox Foster