Get today right, will you?

Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ That’s what those people who don’t know God are always thinking about. Don’t worry, because your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things. What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. Then he will give you all these other things you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Tomorrow will have its own worries. (Matthew 6:32-34)

Stop for just a moment - get quiet and focus with me for just a second or two. What were you just worrying about - that thing you just kept mulling over and over in your mind that you just cannot seem to put out of it? To worry means you pass over something with repeated focus, almost as though you were wearing a "rut" into it just by the frequency of thought or attention you are giving it. In some respects, worry is understandable and kind of productive. When you cannot figure out the solution to the puzzle before you, you "worry" on the solution because you know it is there - you just have to recognize it. In thinking it through, you either pick up the right piece and place it correctly, or you find the five-letter word which fits the letter combo perfectly. What that form of "worrying" produced was a solution which was possible because of something you already possessed - you just needed to recall that information or notice the solution was right there before you. 

Most of the "worrying" we do is of a different sort, though. It is the type of worry where we "borrow" from tomorrow's sets of issues and bring them in today's focus. In other words, we compound today's issues with tomorrow's "what-if" scenarios. What if it rains? What if we don't get as much in our paycheck as we hoped for? What if the person I like doesn't like me? What if I don't get the job? What if my possessions aren't enough to sustain me when I am lonely, depressed, anxious, or just plain in need of entertainment? There are lots and lots of worries, but most of them are just not really intended to be our focus in life. These are the ones we need to learn to sort out and leave where they belong - in the past or the future!

I wonder how many of us multiply our frustrations and fears in life because we just create chaos with all our "frequent changes" and "chaotic clamor"? We cannot settle on this or that, constantly being drawn to the next "thing" we believe will fill some open space in our heart, that will create a sense of peace in a tumultuous time or give us some satisfaction when we are just craving something a little bit beyond our reach. The pressures mount and we find ourselves adding to today's worries by "borrowing" some from tomorrow, or "recalling" some from yesterday. We are actually "multiplying" our frustration and anxiety, creating an increasing sense of emotional chaos within our minds until we find ourselves about to declare ourselves on "overload". You won't find me ever denying change as either inevitable or good. In fact, I believe change is kind of a refreshing thing as long as we can let go of what belongs in the past, stop focusing so much on what lays ahead in the future, and focus on getting today right. Just sayin!

I need to talk to you about this, God...

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. (Philippians 4:6-7)

What makes you anxious? There is something - even if you are the most well-balanced, totally 'put together' individual. It might not be consistent, but there is some stress in your life on occasion that makes you a bit on edge. There are others of us that are anxious all the time - there is not a moment that you don't feel 'on edge' and about to be crushed by the stress you feel. Anxiety is a feeling that impacts our functioning - at least at some point in our lives. God wants to address that anxiety - through is Word, by his presence, and with his overwhelming peace that cannot be moved by anything.

There will always be 'forces' attacking us. When it is only one thing that causes us stress, we can usually handle it. When the attacks come to us on many fronts, we can become overwhelmed by the multitude of 'forces' moving against us. Stress mounts, building to levels that make it hard to even 'think through' the issues at hand. Been there, done that, bought the shirt, wore it out! Anxiety isn't a sin - it comes to all of us. It is a signal something is about to occur that must be addressed. What we do with it when it comes is the important thing we must address. 

We are in need of time with God - taking the things that are about to overwhelm us to him. If we fail to take this much needed time, what happens? The anxiety builds and builds, until we are about to 'go under' because of the intensity of feelings associated with it. God wants to hear about the things that give us 'cause to pause'. Pause for what? To talk with God about the things that are bugging you! We may feel it is not important to pray about the things that cause us stress - that we somehow have to figure it out ourselves. The truth is that God wants to hear all about it.

God doesn't want us to meditate on the negative - the things that give us anxiety - but to talk with him about them. Why? These thoughts are not good for us - he wants us to move into the power of a sound mind. Prayer (talking with God) breaks the hold these thoughts have on us. No prayer - no peace. That may seem a bit harsh, but things unspoken, dwelt upon over and over again, will eventually overwhelm us. To admit we don't know what to do, that we don't feel we have what it takes, isn't a sign of weakness - it is a sign of strength. We admit we need our mind renewed. A change of thought pattern is often the beginning of the deliverance we desire, but we won't change that pattern alone. We need God and his peace. Just sayin!