When You Only Have Energy for Today

When my brother-in-law was discharging from the military, he and his wife needed to make a lot of decisions. As an outside observer, I was jealous—they could choose to live anywhere they wanted. I imagined all the exciting possibilities that could come with a fresh start while my sister-in-law held her breath and prayed for God’s peace to cover her fears of the unknown.

Fast-forward several years. My husband and I are the ones facing transition while everyone around us seems to be rooted in their communities. We, too, have the option to consider any place in the country to look for employment. That is as freeing as I once imagined, but also overwhelming. In addition, goodbyes are never easy, but this change has involved so many unknowns that the goodbye part has been an afterthought. I keep telling myself we can focus on the transition when we know where we’re headed, but for now I have energy only for today.

Jesus directly addresses what feels like a survival instinct to me. In Matthew 5–7 he saw a crowd gathering and went to a high spot on a mountain so everyone could hear him. In the middle of this event, often called the Sermon on the Mount, is a section on worry.

Matthew 6:25–34 says,

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (NASB)

These verses bring me comfort for three reasons. The first is that worry was so prevalent even thousands of years ago that Jesus directly addressed it. I’m not the only one who has faced uncertainty and felt my faith wavering. Second, this Scripture passage begins with “For this reason” for a reason. Jesus has spent several minutes reminding the people gathered of all God has provided for them. He continues to do so in this section, pointing out that God is the one who has provided their food and clothes. Third, we have something to do.

Jesus tells us to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be added to us. I want to be careful here, because the promise isn’t transactional. Jesus is telling us we can take comfort in believing his promises are for us as well when we focus on God and his character of sinlessness. In our humanity and throughout our lives, we will fail to fulfill promises we make dozens of times. Even those who sincerely desire to be people of integrity will fall short. But God is not human; he is our creator, and he is incapable of lying (Titus 1:2). God’s promises can be trusted even when tomorrow is uncertain.

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I’m so thankful I’ve been given the promise that God will provide for me, a human being, even more than he has for his other creations on earth. These days tomorrow feels overwhelming because “I don’t know” is the only way I can answer most questions. But although I may not know where I’m going, I do know who God is and what he says he will do. And for today, that is enough.

Beth Walker is a football coach’s wife and mom of two energetic boys. She strives to encourage those around her to pursue their best lives in Jesus whether she is near the game field, in church, or at the local coffee shop. As a writer, Beth has been striving to find her voice through seeing Jesus in the ordinary and extraordinary of daily life. She blogs at Lessons from the Sidelines.