Tomorrow

        In the classic musical Annie, Annie sings the song "Tomorrow", expressing her optimism and love for tomorrow, a day that's always a day away. Looking forward to the sun coming out tomorrow helps get her through days that are gray and lonely. When we're going through rough days or looking ahead to an upcoming trip, it's easy to echo Annie's sentiments and express optimism for tomorrow. But what if we never see that "tomorrow" we're looking forward to?

    On the surface, it admittedly comes off as bleak and ominous for me to ask that question. Still, it is worth asking that question. While tomorrow may come, the "tomorrow" that we're envisioning or looking forward to may not. In fact, that "tomorrow" may never come. And if that is the case, should that change how we live today? 

    During this pandemic and time of quarantine, one of the biggest takeaways that I've had is that tomorrow never is promised. When I think back to March and the last time life truly felt "normal", I was looking forward to filling out a bracket for March Madness (Baylor even had a great team!), having family visit, going to a work conference in Austin, and seeing family over the summer. Well, March Madness was canceled, most sporting events (save for NASCAR) remain on pause, a trip to see family was canceled, the work conference got postponed to June 2021, and while I still may be able to see family this summer, it's far from a guarantee given all that's been going on. 

    All that being said, "tomorrow" has been so much more than no March Madness or a postponed work conference. It's meant wearing a mask at the grocery store, staying at home all the time (even as places slowly reopen), and not being able to family, friends, or coworkers in-person. And for so many people, it's meant pain, grief, shock, and loss in the form of furloughs, layoffs, sickness, or losing a family member/loved one. There's no words to fully describe what so many families have been going through these past few months. 

    The unpredictability of this pandemic continues to make each tomorrow a complete guess as to what it will entail or look like. No one truly knows what tomorrow brings with COVID-19, when things will fully be able to reopen again, when there will be a vaccine, or what the world itself will look like post-COVID-19. It truly has made us take things one a day at a time. It's hard to fully make projections about a few months from now when we hardly know what the very next day will bring.

    As I think more about the uncertainty of each day right now, it occurred to me that tomorrow has never been promised. COVID-19 or no COVID-19, tomorrow is just as uncertain today as it was 5 months ago, 5 years ago, and so on. Now, COVID-19 has further brought to light that tomorrow is never promised, but it's something that has always been true - and always will be.

    As I've been reflecting on tomorrow, two verses from Scripture have come to mind. In Matthew 6, Jesus asks some convicting questions. He asks if life is more than food and if our bodies are more than clothing (v. 26). In a question that continues to convict me, Jesus asks if anyone can add an hour to their lives by being anxious (v. 27). Jesus mentions that the birds of the air and the lilies in the field have all that they need without having to worry. The last verse of this passage ties it all together: "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (v. 34). Sometimes in life we spend so much time anticipating problems or thinking about problems that we don't currently have. Why worry about those when each day has its own obstacles and challenges? I'm definitely guilty of this myself, constantly looking ahead or worrying about future issues.  Let's get through the ones that we do have, not the ones that we may or may not have in the future. 

    Jesus' brother James has some strong words about tomorrow as well. In James' letter, he warns against boasting about tomorrow. In chapter 4, he writes "Come now, you who say, 'today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit' - yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes" (v. 13-14). If you're looking to be confronted and convicted about the ways you're living, the Book of James is a good book to read. It's amazing to me how James' words are just as applicable today as they were when he originally wrote them. Our time here is short, and we shouldn't take each day for granted. I think we can all relate to a time that we made a similar boast that James wrote about...only for it to not occur. Our boasting about tomorrow is only in vain. Instead of boasting, James appeals to us to say "if the Lord wills..." (v. 15), for we're ultimately on God's time, not our own. 

    When we come to the realization that we shouldn't worry or boast about tomorrow, the way that we live today should change. Each day is a blessing in itself.  To be able to live have things like food, water, clothing, or shelter shouldn't be taken lightly. Let us be thankful for all that we have today because it could all be gone and taken from us in an instant. If we're constantly looking ahead to tomorrow, we'll forget to live today -- and life will pass us by. Another way to look at it is if we keep waiting for tomorrows that may not come, we'll spend a lot of our lives in disappointment because it's not what we envisioned. 

    Suddenly, the phrase "I'll do it tomorrow" starts becoming all the more dangerous. Saying "I'll do it tomorrow" is another way of either saying that there's something more important right now or that thing you're postponing isn't important right now. If we constantly say that we'll do something tomorrow, we're risking the chances of that something ever getting done. Why? Because tomorrow will always be a day away! There will always be something that we could decide is more important right now. "I'll do it tomorrow" provides us a false sense of security and belief that we'll actually get something done. Now, it's one thing to say "I'll wash the dishes tomorrow" or "I'll go to the grocery store tomorrow". However, saying "I'll call my family tomorrow" or "I'll accept Christ into my life tomorrow" is where we hit a slippery slope. We'll acknowledge that something's important, but not important enough to get done today. And quite frankly, there's nothing more important in our lives than having eternal life through Jesus Christ.

    As I look ahead, while I realize that I may have an idea of what tomorrow may hold, only God truly knows what tomorrow does hold - if there is one. I can't rest in knowing what tomorrow may or may not hold, especially right now. But I can take heart in knowing that there's not a day ahead that God has not already seen or planned. Hebrews 13 offers us this reminder that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (v. 8). That's the peace and comfort that we can walk in as face today -- and, if God wills it, tomorrow. 

    Enjoy today for what it is and the blessings that it entails. Make the most of each day, for we truly don't know what tomorrow brings. Thankfully though, God does. And if it's His will, I look forward to that tomorrow. But in the meantime, I'll focus on today.