Photo Source: www.creationswap.com by Brandon Johnson
While driving in to work one day this week I was praying and confessing to God my tendency to procrastinate (as if He doesn’t already know it) and stressing about all the stuff I have to do in my life at church and at home and at work in the next few weeks. When the verse came to my mind where Jesus says, “take no thought for tomorrow.” Now I didn’t take that as a free pass on my tendency to procrastinate, but I did take it as an encouragement not to stress out over what’s coming.
“Take no thought for tomorrow.” And it’s true. the lilies of the field, and the birds of the air take no thought for the future. They live their lives in the “now.” And there is wisdom in that, but Proverbs speaks to the wisdom of the ant that stores up during the time of the harvest. There is wisdom in looking ahead, too.
But Jesus was saying, don’t stress out about the future. Be wise and look at what’s ahead, but don’t fail to live today because you are worrying about the bad thing that will happen tomorrow. Bad times will come. That’s the nature of the world. You can’t stop them from coming, but God knows what you need. That’s the lesson he’s trying to teach us when he says, “take no thought for tomorrow.”
Don’t be consumed today with stress and anxiety and fear for what may come. Your Father loves you and He’ll take care of you. That’s the lesson Jesus was teaching when he spoke those words, and that’s the lesson he is trying to teach me. So yes, I need to get my taxes done and filed within the next ten days. I’ve procrastinated, and that’s not a good way to live my life. But I know that his grace will get me through.