"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." (Matthew 6: 33, 34)

"But how do I know if God doesn't want me to get married?" Does that question sound familiar? I think we've all asked it, as well as many others, in regard to our futures.

In this case, the question came from a five-year-old - an insightful little girl with a sincere desire to do what God wants her to do. My initial thought was to tell her not to worry about it, that she has plenty of time to know, and all the other platitudes we tend to give to children. But before I answered her, the Lord reminded me of how often I ask the same types of questions, and that her concern about her future is just as real as mine is about what my life may hold.

The truth is, the same thing we tell children about their worries about the future are the same answers we need to be telling ourselves: "God will show you when it's time to know," "Don't worry about that - it's a long way off," and, "Just trust God, it will all work out."

These all boil down to the command Jesus gave us: "Take no thought for the morrow." In other words, live in the now. And what should we be doing in the here and now? "Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness."

When we are knocking down heaven's door trying to get answers for the future, it's impossible to be living in the present. I've watched many people build their lives around what they thought God told them their future would be - an answer they tried to force God to give them, and then assumed a feeling they had was His answer. When the supposed answer didn't come true, they became disillusioned and cynical about themselves and about God. Their living in the future turned to living in depression and despair. Neither is God's plan for us.

God's plan for us for today and for tomorrow is this: Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness (and the rest will fall into place).

It turns out our platitudes to children aren't platitudes after all. It's just that it's easier to spout off the simple answers to them, than it is to believe them for ourselves. We try to make the future complicated, and allow the process of finding out what it holds to consume us.

God wants us to live in peace and contentment. In the here and now. Serving Him with the time He's given us today. And trusting Him for whatever He has for us in the future.

Sound simple? It is. Easy? Well, that's another matter. But making a conscious choice to live for the Lord in the here and now, and to leave the future to Him, is not only necessary for our spiritual and emotional well-being, it is Christ's command.

© 2010 Fern Horst

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