Enjoy Today

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”    —Matthew 6:34

Have you been to the cemetery yet this year? Some of you haven’t a clue what I am speaking about, but many of you who have lost loved ones and are feeling terribly sad and lonely know exactly what I mean. Have you decorated the graves of your departed loved one or friend? Darlene and I didn’t personally visit any graves so far this year, but we did send some flowers to be placed on my father-in-law’s tombstone.

As I work on a sermon about loneliness, a Roy Orbison song keeps creeping into my head. Although I am not really an Orbison fan, (I only know one other song by him, Pretty Woman.) the song, Only the Lonely, keeps coming to mind. The lyrics describe our human condition while validating a biblical and psychological truth. The lyrics state that only another lonely person can truly understand how I feel tonight because my love has left me. The song focuses on living with the past pain of loss in the present with a glimmer of hope for future love. The past broken heart, “Only the lonely know the heartaches I’ve been through. Only the lonely know I cried and cried for you.” The future hope, “Maybe tomorrow, a new romance, no more sorrow.”

These lyrics sound hopeful, but they come out of a romantic and earthly rather than Biblical worldview. Many folks who struggle with grief and loneliness try to live more than one day at a time. They attempt to live yesterday, today, and tomorrow all at the same time. As they grieve over past losses and look forward to the next perfect lover who will make their life complete, they never really get around to living in the present.

Jesus said, “Do not worry about, tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” God does not give us grace for tomorrow; He only gives us enough grace for today. Tomorrow may never come, and when it does, we can trust God to provide grace enough for that “today” as well. Psalm 118 records, “This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it” (vs. 24). God has given us blessings today to enjoy and celebrate. If we dwell on the losses of the past, we will miss God’s grace and the joy in the present. If we only focus on searching for some future Mr. or Mrs. Right, we will miss friends and family around us today.

Have you given yourself permission to enjoy today? God has. Jesus gave Himself on the Cross to take away your past sins and sorrows. Jesus prayed in the upper room that His joy might be in us (John 17:1). If you are dwelling in the past, you miss many of  the joys and blessings of the present.

Have you stopped worrying about the future? Jeremiah 29:11 tells us the God has prepared a future for us full of hope and blessing. If we will trust God to take care of our future, we can begin to truly live an abundant, Spirit-filled life in the present. Eternal, abundant life begins now. Today is the day of Salvation. So give yourself and those around you a break. Stop trying to live yesterday, today, and tomorrow all at the same time. Enjoy today, walk with Jesus, and love and serve those around you. Only those enjoying today can truly experience the joy of the Lord as their strength.