Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, my future is like flying a kite in a strong wind. I told Ed, my old neighbour, I think my summer travel plans are slipping out of my control. Here in British Columbia, we have travel restrictions meaning travel is limited to our health region. That is no; nonessential travel is permitted beyond our region. My summer travel plans might fly in the fall, but then again, I may not travel farther than the garden in the seasons ahead.
Ed said that since my travel plans are not a matter of life or death. I should not care If we stay at home or go away. I agree with him, and I should be flexible by this point in our pandemic. Should is a hard word to swallow at times. When situations remain sticky and messy when it’s one step forward and two steps back, I know I should be patient and thankful; I know I should not be focused on distant plans, but content with one day at a time. Should is easier said than done.
Sometimes I forget that life is short even with all the death of our pandemic. I fail to respect each day as more than enough as it could be my last. The coronavirus and its mutations or variants is a deadly trial for all people in our world. It is a trial we are facing personally, testing our faith. As Christians, we know the testing of our faith with trials of many kinds develops perseverance in us. Perseverance finishes the work of making us mature and complete in our trust in God. (James 1:2-4)
Yes, I should focus on one day at a time. It is necessary to plan for our tomorrows, but our tomorrows and our yesterdays distract us from the importance of today. Living one day at a time is God’s recipe for the way we are to live our lives. Isaiah 43:18 instructs, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.”
Precious memoriesmay season life with richness, but not all memories are precious. Some memories are a poison of resentment, anger, and bitterness ruining the present day for us.
I tend to see great possibilities in the future. The pandemic should have taught me when we focus on tomorrow as the future, it’s never guaranteed. Our cares, concerns and plans for tomorrow may mean we are robbing today of what is reality, substituting it for what is unknown and more uncertain than we realize. Today is the only thing that is ours. Jesus said in Matthew (6:34), “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
I tend to get stopped in the past and focused on weeks or months to come. God calls us to think in terms of Him as enough for each day. He gives us our daily bread. Each day God has fresh mercies and grace to carry us through the day. Faith calls us day by day to trust God for, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies; are new every morning.”
God is more than enough for today.
