Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. – Luke 12:22

Today's Scripture Reading (January 16, 2024): Luke 12

Part of growing up includes developing the ability to delay gratification, not to need to purchase something we want immediately, but rather, being willing to wait for it. We learn to save our money until we can afford the item we want; we save for the day when we will eventually retire, and all of this is part of what it means to mature and grow up. Admittedly, many forces conspire in our society and tell us that this part of growing up is simply unnecessary. We can buy things we want on credit, often with nothing down and with little or no interest to be paid on our increasing debt (by the way, if you believe that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I would like to sell to you. The truth is that nothing is free, and the costs of borrowing are buried somewhere else. In the end, you are still going to pay.) We are convinced that it is somehow not necessary to save up for our retirement and that cashing in those RRSP savings so that we can afford something now is a good and proper move. But we are wrong. All any of this means is that we are still children and still have much growing up to do.

But the other side of the story is also not healthy. Sometimes, we get so obsessed with the future that we miss the present. We spend every waking minute worrying about what might or might not happen. And the result is that we never get to enjoy our life. The truth is that neither ignoring nor obsessing over the future are proper responses to life.

So, Jesus tells us not to worry about life (in Matthew 6, this command is described as not to "worry about tomorrow"). The instruction is not that we should ignore what might happen in the future as we live our lives, but that if we take care of today properly, tomorrow will be able to take care of itself. Growing up demands that we do whatever we need to do in the present so that we are prepared when tomorrow arrives. But there is also no need to obsess over tomorrow. If we do what we need to do today, tomorrow will be well taken care of when it arrives.

Another way of phrasing this saying of Jesus is that we should not worry about the trouble of tomorrow that may or may not come true. Each day comes with enough trouble of its own, and today is no exception. We need to be able to live in the present and attend to the problems that come our way. If we are willing to do that, tomorrow will be ready and able to take care of itself.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Luke 13

See Also Matthew 6:34