One Day At A Time

“Take therefore no thought for tomorrow: for tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself.  Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”  Matthew 6:34

There is a saying that goes like this: “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.”  Of course, there is nothing wrong with making plans.  We need to be organized and looking ahead to make sure that we can meet our obligations in taking care of our families.  In Luke 14:28-33, Jesus explained the necessity of counting the cost before proceeding with one’s plans.  He was referring to the cost of discipleship, but thinking ahead before taking a step is always good advice.  Even with the best planning, though, we should be prepared for change.

With that being said though, how in the world could we have expected such a drastic change in such a short time?  None of us have ever been through an experience like this one that we are going through concerning the coronavirus and all the difficulties it has brought.  On Monday, one of the employees where I work part time was sent home, not because he was sick, but because of a lack of work.  Our economy was doing so well and then, boom, all of a sudden we are spiraling down faster than a lead balloon.  If this pandemic keeps up for several weeks, there are going to be lots, and I mean, lots of people losing their jobs.  Businesses are already shutting their doors.  Many folks live paycheck to paycheck with nothing set aside for a “rainy day”.  Perhaps this will be a wakeup call for families in the future to forego some luxury items in order to put money away for future living expenses or to help out friends and neighbors in need.  Even those on the lower income scale can probably find ways to cut back on unnecessary items and save at least a little.  Don’t always think that the government is going to bale everyone out.  The government is not our parent.  The financial experts tell us that a family should have at least six months of funds tucked away for living expenses.

I think back about the days when we have had snow and/or ice that shut everything down.  It didn’t take long for folks to get “cabin fever”.  We are a society on the move.  People are accustomed to going and doing whatever they desire.  It is going to be very difficult for some to settle in and become, well, basically prisoners in their own homes.  I don’t know what’s worse: the coronavirus or the results of a complete shutdown of the economy.  The political parties, as usual, are fighting with one another about who can better handle this problem, but some of the leaders don’t seem to understand that there is no easy answer.  It is an enemy that we can’t see nor predict its next move.  We are basically flying blind here.  We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but those of us who believe in God and depend on Him know that He holds tomorrow in the palm of His hands.  Nothing happens that is not filtered through the fingers of His loving hands.

When Jesus said to “take no thought for tomorrow”, He was urging His hearers to not worry or be anxious for tomorrow.  There are enough things to deal with today without jumping ahead to all of tomorrow’s troubles.  Don’t worry.  They will still be there.  Most of the stuff that we worry about never happens.  It’s usually the things that we never think about that happen, like coronavirus.  That’s why it is futile to worry about anything.  Being concerned about present situations is not worry.  Analysis of problems can sometimes lead to solutions.  But becoming so overwrought in fretting about tomorrow can cause us to miss living today.  God gives us more than enough grace for today’s challenges.  Taking life one day at a time is not only good advice, it’s really all we have, so let’s deal with it through prayer and a determination to stay positive and full of hope.