What Are You Doing Over There?
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34
Recently I have found myself waking in the middle of the night with a gazillion thoughts racing through my mind. The simplest of things seem huge at three in the morning. Unable to stop the thoughts, they run wide open like a freight train that jumped the track. The thoughts take me to the craziest places and I am always trying to figure it all out. It’s not a dream, but real life anxiety.
I woke up one morning after a restless night and told my husband I had cleaned out the garage and the basement, I had sold all of our excess junk, repaired the house, found money to pay all of our bills, and figured out retirement. I had worked on selling the house and purchasing a tiny box home that needed no repairs or upkeep. I had made major decisions about the ministry and solved all of my kid’s problems too.
Wow, what a productive night!
I guess God was able to rest that night because I was Him for a night. Of course not, but I was actually attempting to do His job.
The sad story is that the cares of this world had hijacked my peaceful heart and moved me into the room of worry and self-provision. I had taken over responsibility of figuring out all of our future. I was in the room of tomorrow where I don’t belong.
Living in the room of tomorrow brings chaos and confusion, fear and worry.
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matt. 6:34
In other words: “What are you doing over there in tomorrow? Get back in today.”
Today is all we have and when we jump into the next room, we actually miss today. The only way to live fully alive is living in the present. God’s grace is only for today, one day at a time.
Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15)
Last night when I awoke at the three o’clock hour, I stuck the ear buds in my ears, held out my hands to surrender all my cares and hit repeat on this song until falling back to sleep:
Take No Thought For Tomorrow
"Take no thought for tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself.
Take no thought what you’ll eat or drink or what you’ll wear.
You needn’t care.
Take no thought for tomorrow; know that God is watching over you.
Your heavenly Father knows what you need.
So take no thought for tomorrow.
Every little bird in the air, His eye does follow.
He is watching over them.
How much more does your Father care for you, His child?
His own child.
Take no thought for tomorrow.
Know that God is watching over you.
Your heavenly Father knows what you need.
So take no thought for tomorrow."
As the worries, concerns and “to-do’s” came to mind, I handed them off to my Father. I will continue to do this, for this too is practicing my faith.
Faith is not a void of any worry and anxiety, but letting God be God over all the unknown.
So when you have your sleepless night, know that another is practicing faith with you. We may awaken tired and sleepy, but we are stronger for standing in faith and fighting for truth.