“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:34 NKJV

Fires, and Smoke, and Bears, Oh My!

When I was a child, my father would say every now and then, “Sufficient is the day thereof.”

I pondered his response quite often and tried to figure it out in my young mind as to what he meant by it. To me, at that time in my little life, it meant basically not to think about tomorrow, just enjoy the day and have fun. I only understood partially what he meant, and accepted the fact as much as I could comprehend. I also heard him respond that way to other people in conversations that he would have; and to add to those words, he would say, “His grace is sufficient for me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

As I look back, I realize that my dad literally took one day at a time. He didn’t seem to be concerned about the future…he demonstrated peace, and he seemed to face every day calmly and steadily. That’s just one of the many things that I remember about my dad.

This Scripture isn’t new to me; however, the Holy Spirit has brought to my attention the importance of relying on Him for EVERYTHING and for EVERY MOMENT of the day. There is enough trouble and evil that surrounds us today, and all over the world—more now in this day in which we live because we know the day of our Lord is approaching ever so near.

In the 1937 classic movie The Wizard of Oz, one of Dorothy’s lines was, “Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my!” Her journey, and the principle of the movie, was to state that our reality is created from the inside of our hearts and minds—our thoughts create our feelings, and all she wanted to do was to go home. Well, lately my journey is created from the outside activities—circumstances of our world, and wild animals that surround my house at all hours of the day…therefore “sufficient is the day thereof” and “His grace is sufficient for me.”

I’ve been experiencing close fires near me, fires and smoke that surround all of us in the Redding area, which brings wildlife searching for food and water into my backyard—huge bears in the middle of the day—so I can say, “Fires, and smoke, and bears, oh my!” Yes, His grace is sufficient for me—grace for everything, and grace for the moment. God directs my paths—He will direct your paths. If we’re not careful, our circumstances can create anxiety, panic, stress, or fear in our minds. We are at home with our Lord with His loving arms of protection around us. He will give us His grace, His peace and His direction for “the” day.

Lord, thank You for Your protection and guidance on our journey with You. We give You the glory! Amen.