These verses are instructions from Jesus to "not be anxious about your life." "Let today's troubles be sufficient for today." In my prayers, I realized how differently I hear this message than you.
I am winding down my professional life - I have had 30 years of work; during these final 10-12 I will be determining which of the projects I have begun merit the effort to sustain.
You spend your days in classrooms preparing for the opportunity to develop new discoveries.
I look at my checkbook and think about retirement plans.
Your finances are centered on accumulating books and paying for temporary housing.
But we all need to hear Jesus' words about anxiety. Regardless of what it is that runs through our minds, we can either allow those thoughts to dominate our lives, or choose to relegate them to passing concerns. We can deceive ourselves into thinking we can control what happens, or trust that the future lies in God's hands.
These words from Jesus are not meant to tell you to ignore that paper due next Tuesday. But these words do remind you that many of the most important things in life are things over which God has the greater control - so let Him. Set aside your anxiety. Identify the troubles that are the troubles for this day. Remember that God clothes the fields with lilies and feeds the birds of the air. Surely, God will also care for you.
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