Take No Thought for Tomorrow

I wrote the following for the newspaper that has published some of my articles, and thought I'd share on here. I hope you find it encouraging!

-ARose


"Take No Thought for Tomorrow"


With school starting up again it’s easy to feel overwhelmed; our busy schedules, goals, aspirations, dreams, and fear of failures loom before us like Goliath before the brave young shepherd. I know, personally, that fear can be a mighty foe. It’s so easy to fall into doubt and worry—“What if I’m not where I want to be in five years? Do I even know where I want to be in five years? What if I fail and let everyone, especially myself, down?” If you’re facing any such concerns right now, a word of advice: breathe. To borrow the idiom, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Life takes time, and even though it may not feel like it, you have time! We shouldn’t procrastinate, but there is also no need for undue pressure. If you don’t know what you want to do, consider a temporary job while you’re working out your options. Dreams are great, but if you don’t know what your dream is, that’s okay. Don’t become so overwhelmed with the cares of this life that you forget what gives you life—your relationship with God. Gaining the whole world profits you nothing if you end up losing your soul along the way (Matt. 16:26).

Yes, it’s nice to know your way around in this world, but worldly knowledge will perish; heavenly knowledge is eternal. For those of you currently pursuing your dreams-- that’s awesome, keep it up as long as it’s not harming your walk with God, but also keep your priorities straight. If God isn’t your foundation, everything you build will crumble. God must be first. God, and only God. He is not to be lower than anything else in your life, or even on the same level as anything else. He is our strength, our help, our wisdom, our guide, our peace, our protection, our redemption. When our life is truly surrendered to Him, we can worry less and have confidence that He is in control, for we have placed Him in control. I am saddened by the number of people today who struggle with depression and low self-esteem-- these are the fruits of an unjust world that places us under undue pressure, but God offers you “beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” (Isa. 61:3). He is the author of peace, not of doubt and confusion (1 Cor. 14:33). Don’t worry about tomorrow, seek God today.

Here is some encouragement from chapter 6 of Matthew— “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” v19-21

“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat and the body than raiment? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit onto his stature?” v26-27

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for tomorrow: for tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” v33-34

If God is the only thing you get right in this life, then you’ve accomplished more than the majority of this world ever will.

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

Blessings and peace in Christ,
April