Let the Day's Own Troubles Be Enough For the Day

Many of you know that Sunday afternoons are still difficult for me. From the time I was 12 until the time I was 47 I spent nearly every Sunday afternoon attending, helping with or leading a student ministry.  Just over 6 years ago that portion of my life came to an abrupt end, and I still miss it nearly every week.  So Sundays can be hard on my normally positive attitude in the best of cases.

Yesterday was NOT the best of cases.  I didn't sleep well Saturday night.  The medicine I am taking to help control my diabetes has some nasty side effects, and yesterday they all seemed to be kicking in at once.  Will's prom Saturday night was just another reminder that life flies by, and it is so easy to miss the good stuff.  I was thinking far to much about a difficult personal situation and a future that I desire but most likely cannot have.  And so I sat, listened to music...and worried.  I worried about my health. I worried about future opportunities to be involved in ministry. I worried about a friend who is struggling. And I worried about my own future happiness.  All of that worry pushed me into a dark place; a sad place.  I am considered by many of my friends to be a master of finding the "silver lining."  Yesterday that lining was very hard to find. Very hard indeed...

Then last night I took out the trash.  That may seem like an odd way to find a little peace on a bad day, but as I emptied one of our small trash cans into the big garbage bin I saw something I did not expect so see.  I will spare you the details, but suffice it to say that this surprise made me both gasp and laugh.  I was immediately aware that I had just spent the day wallowing in something over which I had no control.  Life...and my future...will be full of surprises and events that surpass my grandest expectations.  Things I once never dreamed possible have already happened. Blessings from God come every day, just like the sun rise.  And suddenly I was reminded of one of my favorite scripture verses:

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."  Matthew 6:34 (The Message)

So today I am praying over those words of Jesus.  I want to focus my attention on what God is doing right NOW in my life.  And I want to give the future to God.  Is it still scary?  Yes!  But it is so much less scary to know that my future, my life and my joy are in the hands of the Creator of the universe and Savior of humanity. The old cliche says that I may not know what the future holds, but I know who  holds the future. Old cliches are often right.  "Let the days own troubles be enough for the day."  Words to live by on a Monday morning.  Be blessed, my friends.

Because of Jesus,