Expecting Tomorrow

Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

--Matthew 6:34

I always interpreted this scripture as not worrying about what is to come and simply trusting in the promises that God has for my life. This is all well and true. Yet, God revealed an even greater message to me through this passage. Today as I drove home from work, I meditated on this scripture even though I couldn’t remember what book of the bible it was in. Earlier in the day I had read about expectations and with this word I was inspired.

The preceding verse (Matthew 6:33) tells me to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. If I’m only seeking God’s will then I’m not concerned with everything and everyone else around me. I’m not concerned about pleasing others or having all the material things that the world has to offer. And believe me do I have more than enough. My mom and I the other day were discussing the abundance of clothing we had and scarcity of closet space we had to occupy them. Things like this don’t matter but are hosted merely to entertain the expectations I have about myself and the expectations I’m trying to fulfill in others. I expect people will be concerned with what I’m wearing, what I’m reading, what kinds of foods I eat and a whole lot of other nonsense. And, for the most part, I’m right. People do have expectations of me, and I of them.

The aspect of worrying suddenly transformed into the expectations that I have for the future. By worrying I am actually projecting my expectations on what is to come without really giving any thought as to how God is going to handle it. Worry is actually an expectation just as excitement, anxiousness, and doubt are too. Excitement comes with positive expectations, while worry and doubt cover the negative expectations I have. Anxiousness may fall into either category.

Sometimes I will find myself harmlessly daydreaming about my future. I have to take my thoughts into captivity sometimes not necessarily because they’re bad or unclean but because it’s placing an expectation in my life that may not be fulfilled. If it’s not fulfilled it may cause my relationship with God, my family, friends, and career to suffer. By creating these expectations I’m trying to project my will into the future without trusting in what God has prepared for me. I have desires in my heart that God notes and will undoubtedly satisfy, adjust, or even eliminate according to His purposes. I’m learning to surrender these thoughts to God but it’s not always easy. My mind is a chaotic mess of wants of the flesh and longings for the spirit. I constantly have to check myself and sometimes one may see me shaking my head as if I can fling the thoughts out of my ears. Watch: I’m sure it’s a funny sight.

The surprise of tomorrow is worth waiting for. God is faithful to fulfill His promises to me and I can’t begin to express even my most sincere thanks for Him to even give me another day to live. I sometimes just “expect” that tomorrow is going to be there. "I’ll always have tomorrow." But it’s not promised and I’m never really sure that I’ll ever have the chance to tell my family and friends how much I love them. I may never have the opportunity to finish that project I’m working on in my career. That’s why God is so adamant about expressing the value of TODAY on His people. He knows that my expectations are not always feasible and can hurt the relationships I have. As much as I don’t want that for myself, He doesn’t want that for any of His children.

So don’t worry about tomorrow. Don’t have expectations that are going let you down or raise your hopes. God will take care of tomorrow. Let us take care of what He’s given us today.

God Stood Here

Have you ever been on a tour and the guide stops in front of a destination and says, "Here on this very spot..."? The guide continues to tell of the hero that stood on the spot, the event that transpired, and the aftermath of everything that happened. I remember how excited I got when I was in a small town courthouse and the county mayor told me of a court case that happened there with one of my favorite historic people. He took me to the courtroom, pointed to where he sat as a child and then to the spot where the lawyer stood. He told me about the case and how everyone there responded. I listened intently, starry-eyed and amazed by every word that poured from his mouth. I was almost giddy from the thought that I stood in the same courtroom in which, decades ago, this same man stood.
Then I began to think about all the other people that were there. People that I wasn't interested in hearing about. I didn't care who the judge was, I didn't necessarily want to hear about the jury, or even the client this lawyer represented. I only was only interested in a single individual and his story. Selfish, right?
I've just returned from a convention in which one of the speakers talked about being still in impossible situations. I've heard this before. However, she followed up with an interesting tid bit of information that I was enthralled by. She spoke about the translation of this word. I love when speakers do that. I always wanted to be a linguist but lack the motivation to learn a whole bunch of languages. She said that "Be Still" was translated as "Stand Still" or "Stand By." Standing, she said, is to be at a continuous resolve, or to be at attention. I like that. I thought about how much better I pay attention if I'm standing. Sitting...I'm tempted to fall asleep.
Then another speaker at this convention shared a scripture in Genesis 28:16 When Jacob woke up from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it." I would wager to believe that these speakers did not plan this together. However, God really impressed upon my heart first the title of this post and then imparted to me a little more about facing difficult situations.
See,I have often found myself in situations where I wondered if God could even see what was going on. Not only could He see, He was actually there. He was standing in the midst of the situation at full attention. He was aware of the situation. I was the oblivious one. He knows how the situation will transpire. He knows what you and I are feeling. He knows the ending of the story and we simply wonder if anyone is even listening.
As I recall those events in my past when life seemed difficult and impossible, I now envision a plaque that says, "God Stood Here." I didn't see Him, I didn't necessarily feel Him, but He was there. And now as I head into those difficult situations in life, I hope to remember on a surface somewhere hangs an invisible plaque that says, "God Stood Here...and He's Still Standing Here."