Editor’s note – We’re running this piece because it names something many of us feel but rarely say aloud: the exhausting habit of trying to live next week while still standing in today. In a hard, repetitive season of caregiving, the author catches herself mid-worry and hands her family member, and herself, a phrase worth keeping: that is not a today problem, and it isn’t ours to solve yet either.
This past Saturday, we were helping a family member with some things she’s working through during a season of transition. We’ve been helping for several weekends now, and we’ll be going back again this coming Saturday and possibly the following weekend.
There’s still quite a bit to do, and at one point she started thinking about everything that could happen in the future. I could see the stress building as she worried about a problem that hadn’t even happened yet.
Without really thinking about what I was going to say, I looked at her and said, “That is not a today problem.”
As soon as I said it, I realized I needed that reminder just as much as she did.
What is the Problem We’re Actually Dealing With Today?
I explained that we didn’t need to solve something that might or might not happen weeks from now.
We knew what needed to happen that day. Things needed to be packed, things needed to be moved, and practical work was right in front of us that we could actually do.
The rest needed to be left with God.
I told her we were going to pray that God would work everything out at the right time and bring the right people into the situation when they were needed. We could prepare and do our part, but we didn’t need to carry the weight of trying to figure out every possible outcome.
Jesus spoke directly about this in Matthew 6:34:
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. [Matthew 6:34]
I love how practical that verse is.
Jesus wasn’t telling us to ignore our responsibilities. He wasn’t saying we shouldn’t prepare for the future. He was reminding us not to add tomorrow’s worries to the responsibilities we’re already carrying today.
Editor’s note – That verse from Matthew doesn’t excuse poor planning; it draws a line between preparing for tomorrow and trying to pre-live it today. Worry is an attempt to control what only God can hold.
There’s a Difference Between Planning and Worrying
That distinction is something I need to remember in my own life.
I like having a plan. I have responsibilities with my family, my writing, my business, church, and everything else that fills my week. I need to prepare for things today because I know they’re happening tomorrow or later in the week.
Planning isn’t the problem.
The problem starts when I’ve done what I reasonably can do today, but my mind keeps racing ahead.
- What if this happens?
- What am I going to do if that doesn’t work out?
- How am I going to get everything done?
Before I know it, I’m mentally trying to live Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and the weekend while I’m still standing in Monday.
God hasn’t given me those days yet. He’s given me today.
Editor’s note – There is real wisdom in stopping the mental rehearsal once the actual work in front of you is done. Bring today’s task to God and leave the rest in His hands.
I Don’t Have to Carry the Whole Week Today
This is an area where God continues to work on me because I know I can want to control things. I want to know what’s going to happen and how everything will work out.
But I can’t control everything. And the more I try, the more unnecessary stress I create for myself.
God isn’t asking me to carry the whole world on my shoulders. He’s asking me to trust Him. He’s asking me to stay focused on Him and His Word, be a faithful steward of what He’s placed in front of me, and trust Him with what I cannot control.
That’s where I think balance matters.
We shouldn’t use “living in the moment” as an excuse to neglect our responsibilities. Make the appointment. Write down the deadline. Prepare what needs to be prepared. Have a plan for where you’re going.
But once you’ve done what you can do, you don’t have to mentally rehearse every possible thing that could go wrong.
- You can come back to today.
- You can come back to what God has placed in front of you right now.
- You can come back to His presence.
What I said to our family member on Saturday has stayed with me because I’ve realized it’s a question I can start asking myself when my thoughts begin running too far ahead:
Is this actually a today problem?
- If it is, I can pray about it and ask God for wisdom about what I need to do.
- If it isn’t, I can still pray about it — but I don’t have to carry it today.
I can trust that when tomorrow comes, God will still be there. He’ll give me the wisdom and strength I need for whatever that day brings.
For today, I want to be faithful with today.
Are you worrying about tomorrow’s problems when God is asking you to focus on what He’s doing in your life today?
A Word from the Editor
Paul told the Philippians not to be anxious about anything, but to bring every request to God with thanksgiving. Today’s portion is enough to carry; tomorrow has not been handed to you yet.
Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words
Distributed by – BCWorldview.org
Editor Comment: Matthew 6:34 says each day carries its own trouble, and you show exactly how anxiety multiplies when we try to carry days God has not yet given us. You close with the real moment you shared with your family member instead of a tidy lesson, and that choice shows readers what trusting God with tomorrow looks like in practice.
This article appeared on Medium and is reprinted with modifications and by permission.