God has given us the ability of foresight. But all too often we assume we can think far enough ahead to protect ourselves from every risk. This leaves us worrying about bridges we have not yet had to cross. We don’t have to ignore the storms on the horizon, but we also don’t have to act as if it’s raining today.
Perhaps we wonder how we’re going to handle our kids once they become teenagers or the choices they’re going to make as young adults. Or maybe we worry about the end-of-life considerations for our aging parents. We might also become anxious about our future job outlook with the ups and downs of the economy and the swift changes in society.
Of course, there’s wisdom in looking ahead and considering these matters. And there might be many concrete actions we can take today to prepare for the future. But preparing is not the same as worrying about outcomes not yet ours to carry.
While we might tell ourselves we just need to think things through to be ready, in reality we’re trying to control outcomes and we’re no longer living by faith. We live by faith by crossing the bridges of life when we get there, and not by agonizing ourselves with potential problems in the future.
What belongs to today? And what belongs to tomorrow? And will we trust God to give us the grace to handle both at the right time?
We miss the work, the joy, and the people who need us present today when we spend all our energy anxiously trying to solve tomorrow’s problems before they arrive.
In the end, consider and prepare for your future without rushing ahead. Now is not the time to worry. Now is the time to trust that God is preparing you to be the man who can cross that bridge when the time comes.
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