What Do You Want Today?

Wow. The news has been intense last week, from the President’s taxes, the crazy presidential debate, to the president’s coronavirus diagnosis, not to mention ongoing protests, Western fires still burning, and Hurricane Delta (we ran out of letters for names of hurricanes this year!) bearing down on the Gulf coast. I’ve been trying to limit myself to five minutes of news per day, and I’ve been more or less sticking to it (OK, honestly, sticking to it less yesterday...)

The intense political season can seem like just ONE MORE THING in a life of endless Zoom meetings, trying to work while also helping to manage children’s or grandchildren’s schooling. Not to mention, caring for and worrying about family elders near and far, and just keeping the house looking in some semblance of order.

What can you do when you feel overwhelmed? Pay attention to today and what you can control. It’s biblical, you know…."So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today." Matthew 6:34 (NRSV)

Here’s what I’ve been working on: I try to pull my busy mind back out of the future or the past into the present (or off the internet) and ask myself, "What do I want today?" It helps.

If you want to try it for yourself, just jot down a quick list to answer that question, "What do I want today?" Then think about a way to get at least one of those things.

Or think what you would say (and maybe have said) to an overwhelmed friend or family member. Remember to be kind to yourself. You and I have never been through anything remotely like this pandemic and we will get through this. Extend yourself some grace. That’s what God does!

I’ve talked with so many of you over these recent months, and I know you are holding up amazingly well. And I also know that you are also under intense stress managing the ongoing responsibilities you have to carry through this time. So, what I want today is for you (and me) to trust that God does not abandon us to struggle in life alone. You are God’s precious creation, one of a kind, extravagantly loved. God will never let you go, as the last words of Matthew’s Gospel remind us – “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Knowing this is enough for today.

Pastor Tim