So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
-Matthew 6:34, NRSV
My daughter Ellie has become an industrious jeweler as of late. Day after day, we find her sitting on the floor, threading plastic pony beads on shoelace-style strings. She has made necklaces for Mama and Daddy (but draws the line at making one for her big brother).
Yesterday in worship, I wore one of her original creations. The design was a pattern of teal-colored beads: star, then circle, then star, then circle, and so on. “Look, Mama!” she said as she presented it to me. “It’s a pattern!”
Ellie loves patterns. It’s to be expected, I suppose, for a kiddo getting ready to start first grade — patterns are a huge part of kindergarten math fundamentals. From her kindergarten homework, to her “getting ready for first grade” summer workbooks, to her online enrichment activities (disguised as games), Ellie has been focusing on patterns. What’s next in the pattern? What comes next?
What comes next? That’s not just a simple question on Ellie’s math worksheets. That’s a much deeper question of life. If you’re anything like me, you’d prefer for life to unfold according to predictable patterns. You want to know what’s next. Then you’d be prepared. Then you’d be ready. Then you wouldn’t have to worry.
Easier said than done, Jesus.
“Tomorrow will bring worries of its own,” he continues.
That’s… discouraging, Jesus.
“Today’s trouble is enough for today,” he concludes.
True enough, Jesus. Still worried, though.
I’ll admit… I’m not satisfied with what Jesus says here about worry, and I haven’t yet made peace with his words. I’m not sure I ever will… at least not until life starts behaving itself and unfolding according to clear recognizable patterns.
Until then, I’ll read Matthew 6 over and over, and remind myself: I may not know what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future.
Pastor Candy
And as you process, perlustrate, and pray, may you remember:
Our God is bigger than coronavirus.
Our vision is bigger than coronavirus, too.
We are people blessing people.
We are Wesley Church.
Want to know more?
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- View previous devotionals: https://wesleychurch.com/pastor-candys-devotionals-2/
