Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself

Today's Gospel, I think, contains some of Jesus' most comforting words yet some of His most difficult advice...at least for me.

"Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself."

We're all control freaks on some level.  We make plans for our day...we become upset/annoyed/concerned when they become disrupted and do not occur as we had imagined.  And that's just when, for whatever reason that's out of our control, we don't have time to get our Starbucks latte in the morning! (The important things, right?)

What about the plans for our life?  The big stuff.  When those are at risk of being changed or about to be changed...woah, watch out.  I know when I am at a point where I no longer have control...when there is nothing else I can do to create the outcome I want...it's almost impossible for me to focus on anything at all.  I cry a lot, I'm easily annoyed, and I feel like the world is reeling around me...like I'm the only kid on the merry-go-round and I want to get off, but it won't slow down and stop spinning.

And the only way off of that merry-go-round?  Ya gotta jump...you jump with the faith that one of two outcomes will occur:
1.) You will land safely on your own two feet and stumble away relatively unscathed
2.) You will fall...and if you do someone will be there to pick you up, dust you off, and put band-aids on your scrapes
You leap with blind faith, not knowing the outcome.

There is no way we can ever know where life is going to take us.  The only sure thing that we have is this very moment...a thought that can be terrifying if we let it consume us.

Although we may have no idea where life is going to take us, God knows exactly where He wants us to be...and where God wants us to be is the best place for us.  That should be an incredible comfort for us!  All we need to do is seek God first in our lives and all the rest will fall into place...we just have to be faithful and believe that God will provide for us all that we need.  When I look back on my life, I see that He has provided everything for me...opened doors for me when I needed somewhere to go and closed doors that would cause me harm.  It is still a minute by minute process for me to remember all of these times when I am tempted with worry...but that moment to moment choice to trust in God is the foundation of faith.

When I finally decide to put the time and energy I spent worrying into spending time with God, all of that fear and anxiety it replaced with peace...and I know no matter what, everything will be okay.  Like I said, it's still a work in progress to start doing that right from the get go.

"Anxiety is the greatest evil that can befall a soul, except sin.  God commands you to pray, but He forbids you to worry." - St. Francis de Sales

Let us try our very best to give it all up to God...our plans, our fears, our failures, our triumphs.  He will place us right where we need to be when we need to be there.  Anxiety takes our focus away from what God can do for us and puts in on what we can do for ourselves.  "With God all things are possible"...my bet is on Him.

Time to take the leap off of the merry-go-round.  I know God is ready for me...band-aids and all.  Are you with me?

In His Love,
Lindsey