So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today. Matthew 6:34

I have a habit of thinking about tomorrow. In fact, I have been called a visionary leader for that reason. So, when I came across this teaching of Jesus, I did what I almost always do with a very familiar verse - skipped over it to get to something that was fresh and really "spoke to me". The only problem was that the Spirit called me back to that text. (I usually can identify the work of the Holy Spirit because it speaks to me or leads me to what I want to avoid!)

So, I returned to the text. That's when I remembered what a good friend and counselor once said to me: "Most people don't realize that the flip side of their gifts is their curses."

It's true. I think about tomorrow in order to plan. I also think about tomorrow and worry. I believe planning and thinking ahead are necessary and responsible. But, like my friend said, their flip sides are anxiety and "borrowed trouble." Borrowed trouble is the worry we really don't have to face so we "borrow" it from a tomorrow that hasn't come and, most likely, won't come. I refuse to count all the times I worried about a tomorrow that never materialized. But I know the lost energy, focus and time that many of those anxieties stole from me.
The Savior is right. Deal with today's challenges and leave tomorrow's imagined troubles to the future.

I've decided on a spiritual discipline for myself. When I get worried, as we all do, I'm going to ask myself a series of simple questions. First, is this a concern I am facing today? Second, is there clear evidence in the present to really suggest that this might actually be a problem in the near future? (After all, sometimes there is.) Third, can I do anything today that will eliminate my worry or not? Lastly, I am going to remind myself that, no matter how hard I try, I will not be able to control the future - but God does. By following this four-fold process, I want to avoid borrowing trouble while still planning for the future. I really believe that I can face the future and plan responsibly without all the wasted worry that I have previously spent.

I'd like to invite you to join me. After all, all you have to lose is needless anxiety.

Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for your words of wisdom. Give me the grace to live in them. Amen