Don't Worry About It!

Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here.

In this episode, I’m talking about something I’m pretty good at doing: worrying about tomorrow before tomorrow even gets here. Even while I’m on vacation in Daytona Beach, I can find myself thinking about what’s happening back home, what’s going on at work, what we’re doing tomorrow, and all the things that could possibly go wrong. I tend to catastrophize, and if somebody tells me, “Hey, can we talk tomorrow?” my brain can write an entire three-act tragedy before I have any idea what the conversation is about. So for Faith Connections, I’m looking at what Jesus really meant in Matthew 6 when He said not to worry about tomorrow. I don’t think He was telling us not to plan, prepare, save money, think ahead, or be responsible. There’s a difference between planning for the future and mentally living through every terrible version of it before it happens. We’ll look at Jesus’ words about worry, the birds and the wildflowers, Proverbs 16:9, and making plans while remembering that the Lord determines our steps, and James’ reminder that none of us really knows what tomorrow will bring. I also talk about why communication matters, why people tend to go negative when there’s no narrative, and the point where useful planning becomes worry that accomplishes absolutely nothing. Maybe the question isn’t, “What could possibly go wrong tomorrow?” Maybe it’s simply, “What can I actually do today?” Make the plan. Do what you can today. Trust God with the parts you can’t control. And stop trying to live tomorrow before tomorrow gets here.

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