“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (James 4:14)
Do you borrow trouble from tomorrow? Finding yourself loaded down with the cares of today? Do you still reach out and add stress to your life from tomorrow’s cares?
I think we all do. It is a bad habit, made all the worse by the fact that too often we are too weak to deal with today’s challenges, much less wrestle with tomorrow’s difficulties.
The Stoic Philosophers have this thing called “Negative Visualization.” The idea is to imagine the worst things that can happen to you or your family, then if they occur, you are better prepared for them.
I can’t go along with that idea. Not because bad things don’t happen and not because we shouldn’t be prepared for hardships, but because too many people are already “negative visualizers” sitting around imagining the worst and using up precious energy as stress drains them and leaves them without the strength to face actual hardships.
The imagination is a gift from God when used wisely, but when used to borrow stress from tomorrow, or to always imagine the worst, it can be a curse rather than a blessing.
We ought rather to imagine the Lord being with us and our family members, and His wonderful angels imparting strength and help in our times of need. We will face stressful times, but we will face them with a God who helps us to meet those needs.
Don’t borrow stress from tomorrow, pray and find strength for today.
Prayer: Dear Lord, each day has its stresses, help us not to borrow stress from tomorrow. Amen.
About The Author:
Karlton Douglas lives in Ohio with his lovely wife. He finds that God gives us strength for each day, one day at a time.
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