Think on What is True about the Future

I'm a worrier.  I blame my mother for this. (It's true, Mom!  And you understand why.)  She is a self-proclaimed worrier.

I used to lay in bed for hours and "think."  That's what I would call it.  "Thinking."  But it was really worrying.  Fretting.  Fearing.

• What if my house burns down in the middle of the night?  Do my children know how to escape?  Do I know how to escape?
• What if God takes my children from me? Or my husband from me?
• Why isn't my friend talking to me?  I wonder how it will go when I see her/him tomorrow for the first time since the silence.
• When will I receive my cancer diagnosis?  Will I be afraid of dying?  
• What if I'm in a car accident?  What if Dan is in an accident?

I mean, you get the idea, right?  And those are just the big things.  I get frantic about details as well.

• Did I put everything on my list that I could possibly need for vacation?  Did I forget anything?
• What if I am asked to coordinate that event?  How could I do that with the most efficiency and excellence?

It really requires a lot of mental exercise to juggle so much concern.  And I didn't even mention some of my bigger concerns over the last few years.  You might have felt some of them as well...

• What if I just keep gaining weight?  Is this how I will die?
• What if I try to lose weight again and just can't?  Will I just fall into the pit of despair?
• What if everyone around me loses weight and I just keep getting bigger?  What if I can't walk up the stairs anymore?  What if I can't sit on that chair?  What if I can't fit through that space?  What if I get there and I can't do all that walking?  What if...

Last night I was reminded of a powerful truth through Elizabeth George's book, "Loving God with All Your Mind."  I can't say it as well as she did, so I will simply quote her:

Oh, dear friend, whatever your 'what if' is, you must remember that 'what if' is only a guess.  If you want to overcome your fears, you cannot think 'what if' thoughts.  Instead, in obedience to Philippians 4:8, you and I must acknowledge that events in the future are not real.  We must eliminate this kind of speculative thinking because thoughts about the future are only guesses.'

Furthermore, the future is in God's hands--His loving, capable, merciful, powerful hands!  He can enable us to deal with what is real, with what is now.  And, the truth is, He will also be with us whatever the future holds.  Lo, He is 'with you always, even to the end of the age' (Matthew 28:20)!  Yes, we need to be prepared for things like earthquakes.  And yes, we need to be wise about our finances, our parenting, and our health.  But we don't need to waste energy worrying about what is not yet real, about things that may never come to pass.'

God  calls us to handle each day, one at a time.  TODAY is real, and, beloved, God will enable us to deal with what today holds.  THAT is what's true."