"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (NIV)
"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." (KJV)
How many times have I said to others, and myself, “One day at a time”? If you needed a scriptural basis for that thought, this is it. Along with the verses about how God takes care of the lilies and the birds comes this one. The verse just prior reminds me to “seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things [that I worry about] will be taken care of by God. Awesome. Easy to preach—hard to live out.
I try not to be negative about things, but being a “contemplative” by personality, I am usually able to see the small negative in the midst of overwhelming positives. (Other similar personality systems may designate my personality type as a “Conscientious,” or “Beaver,”—as in “busy as a…” It basically means I am most happy to be behind the scenes with a task that I like.) When I got the VGPR—Very Good Partial Response—report from my hundred-day-post-transplant test, I focused on the word “partial.” The doctor, and most others, focused on the words “very good.”
Jesus hits right where I and my personality live. I have to take each day as He brings it to me. I cannot do anything about tomorrow. Worrying doesn’t fix anything, and it usually focuses on things that do not happen. Looking into the future to find things to worry about is counter-productive at best. The chief thing I must do is “not worry about tomorrow” but “seek first His kingdom” and trust Him to add whatever else I need for today. Is another way of saying to God, “I trust You, with me.”
Update On Things Medical...
Today I went to my local oncologist. He is a very good doctor, and he has a very good staff. We got the ball rolling on what I call my maintenance chemo, and some bone strengthening meds too. I will start the bone stuff (its an IV) next Friday, and the chemo (it’s a pill) when the specialty pharmacy gets it to me.
Pray that:
1. God will be glorified.
2. That I will be patient, trusting, and faithful.
3. That treatment will be effective
4. That side effects will be minimized.
Addendum
*If your interest has been piqued about this personality thing, you can find out a bit more at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DISC_assessment
There are tons of DISC type evaluations out there. Some are in books and others are administered by professionals for a fee. It is valuable to understand your personality type, but it is not the only variable in who we are and how we deal with life. A relationship with Christ deals with our bent toward sin and many of the hard edges of our personalities. Spiritual gifts given to us by God often compensate or augment our personalities. Rick Warren speaks of how five things determine how we are “SHAPEd” for ministry:
- Spiritual Gifts – Received when we become a Christ follower
- Heart – What do you love to do?
- Abilities – These can be natural (talents that have been honed) or acquired (stay in school)
- Personality – (see above)
- Experience – What have you learned in life already?
[Boy this was long!]
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