Living In Tomorrow

Linda came home after a busy day at the office. She was tired and mentally exhausted having been stuck in traffic for over two hours. She looked forward to unwinding in her bedroom to get rid of her stress-induced headache. When she opened her bedroom door, she discovered that her little brother had messed up her room…again. Linda had to spend another thirty minutes cleaning up the mess he made. She thought to herself, ‘when I get married and move out of this house, I’ll be happier’. Two years later she meets the most amazing man ever. They get married and lived in a beautiful apartment. However, the cost of renting the apartment was quite high. Linda and her husband decided to get  a mortgage and work hard to save ten percent of the deposit. Every day Linda yearned to get out of this apartment and move into their own property. After three years of consistently saving, Linda and her husband could afford a mortgage and they moved out of the apartment. The mortgage is exactly what they prayed for. A spacious, modern four-bedroom apartment. However, the house was quiet. They had tried to have a child for over two years without any results. They visited doctors who affirmed that they were reproductively healthy and that they should  exercise more patience. Three years passed and they were still trusting God for a child. Returning from work to meet an empty home constantly reminded Linda of their situation, her frustration increased. She wanted to hear kids play around. What’s the point of being married and having a nice house without any kids? Six months later, she was delighted to find out that she was pregnant. As the prospect of motherhood began sinking in, Linda suddenly realized she may not be ready for the sacrifices motherhood could demand.Yes, she wants kids but she worried about her career and if the new addition to the family will put a strain on her marriage.  The nine months maternity leave felt like forever and she was eager to get back to work. She told herself, ‘when I get back to work and get the baby into a nice creche I’ll be happier’. The story goes on….feel free to imagine how Linda’s life plays on.

The big problem here is that Linda failed to enjoy the ‘now’ part of her stories because she was always looking forward to what tomorrow would bring. We all have plans and dreams, we look forward to the future and pray to God that our hopes and dreams will come true. Being able to dream and hope is a blessing from God. For anyone out there struggling with depression, be encouraged in God. Don’t believe Satan’s lies that there is no tomorrow for you. Don’t believe his lies that tomorrow will be darker than today.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. - Matthew 6:34

Jesus reminds us that worrying over tomorrow is an effort in futility because we are not in control of what happens tomorrow. Now, it is good to hope and dream, but we must be careful not to live in tomorrow. If you live in tomorrow, you will fail to live today. You may have convinced yourself that you will be happier when tomorrow comes but this is not true. When tomorrow comes you will desire what the next tomorrow could bring according to your hopes and dreams. 

Just take a minute to think, imagine passing through this life not enjoying today because you are constantly in tomorrow. It strips you of the blessings of today. Enjoy each season God takes you through. Enjoy today’s season, and yes look forward to tomorrow’s season but not at the cost of not appreciating or living in your current season. Prayerfully take steps that will help make tomorrow’s dreams come true but it is important to  enjoy the journey, and relish every second of it. The hustle and bustle of everyday life in this day and age has caused us to always be in a rush. Time is money they say! But when it comes to the seasons in your life you should not be in a rush to jump into the next season. This is where self- discipline comes in. Understand that there is a time for everything. God is always speaking, so take time to pause and listen to what He is telling you today. Sit at His feet and learn from Him. 

Jesus reminds us that worrying over tomorrow is an effort in futility because we are not in control of what happens tomorrow. If you live in tomorrow, you will fail to live today.

What’s the point of rushing into tomorrow? The truth of the matter is that tomorrow is not promised! (James 4:13-15). None of us can get away from the realities documented in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8;

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

So, take out time to enjoy today’s season and listen to what God wants to teach you today.

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