By Danny Minton

Several years ago, there was a movie produced entitled “The Nativity Story”. As you can tell by the title, this is a recounting of the story of the birth of Jesus. There is one scene in particular that has always stood out to me, mainly because I had always looked at the story as an outside observer, but never through the eyes of Mary and Joseph. In this one scene, Mary and Joseph have stopped for the evening. They are by a lake, cooking a fish they had bought for supper, and Joseph has just told Mary what the angel had told him about the conception of the child Mary was carrying.  The young couple, scared about what the future may hold, is sitting talking when Mary asks a question.

Mary: “Do you ever wonder when we will know?”
Joseph: “Know? Know what?”
Mary: “When he is more than just a child? Will it be something he says? A look in his eye?”
Joseph: “I wonder if I will even be able to teach him anything.”

Of course, we know how the story unfolds, but to this young couple, it was something they could only wonder about.

Life is that way for all of us. We never know what tomorrow may bring. We never know what will unfold as our story continues. Many of us take life with ease and even flow, while others struggle and worry about what will happen next.

There have been many nights that I have opened my eyes at 3:00 a.m. and found myself wide awake. It’s in those wee hours of the morning that it often creeps in. It takes me by surprise, but when it does, I may lie awake for a good while. I hate it when it comes in. I hate it that it lingers around. I hate it that it often returns night after night. I wish it would go away, and sometimes it does. I wish it didn’t exist, but it pops its head up at these inconvenient times. It changes shapes. It changes how it attacks. It’s hard to shake off. What is it? Worry! 

We all have things that weigh heavily on our hearts. We have issues in our lives that cause us to be anxious and wonder how we’re going to get out of the undesirable place in which we find ourselves. We spend a lot of time worrying about tomorrow instead of living in the present and holding on to what love and joy we have today. Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount told those listening, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. “

Long before “The Lord of the Rings,” there was another little animated movie based on The Hobbit. It was called “The Return of the King”. It had several songs sung in the background. One of these was a little song that dealt with worry. It’s entitled “Leave Tomorrow ‘Til It Comes.” It’s a simple song with a message that tells us to sleep easily; Tomorrow may help us look at things much more differently. 

“Leave tomorrow till it comes, sleep will ease your mind. With the dawn, you’ll find problems realigned a different way than yesterday. Leave tomorrow till it comes, time is moving fast. Don’t go pushing past; endings of the day were meant to last till yesterday.

Tangled dreams unfold, and webs may disappear. Stories are retold, and cloudy thoughts will clear. Leave tomorrow till it comes, sleep will ease your mind. With the dawn, you’ll find problems realigned a different way than yesterday.

The key to making it through these times is to remember that “The peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts in Christ Jesus.” If we do this, then we will always know how the story will end. So live today, enjoy those loved ones around you while you can, love them, hug them, and be thankful for what you have today. And when the negatives of today get you down and you are dreading the tomorrows, keep going back to those words of Jesus. 

“Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. “

Danny Minton is a former Elder and minister at Southern Hills Church of Christ