Home Tools for your Journey July 31

Thursday, July 31

Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.
—Matthew 6:34

Traditionally, the Navajos of the Southwest do not engage in long-term planning. They are a people with a real awareness that we have only the day that is given us. They believe that we should attend to the activities and responsibilities of today without thought for tomorrow, next month, or next year. If an activity is not completed today, it can be continued tomorrow if, in fact, a tomorrow is granted to us.

In Western culture we find it very difficult to comprehend such a way of being. We are driven by results and results occur through planning and action. The plethora of organizers and PDAs are a testament to our commitment to living a life that is mapped out for the next year and beyond.

It's not uncommon to hear someone say, "My whole life is in my Palm Pilot. I'd be lost if something happened to it!" The faster the pace picks up, the more critical our organizers become.

And yet, at a deep level within, where the breath moves through our heart and lungs, we know we have only this day—this moment—in which to live. Today is filled with its own chances, changes, and challenges. That is enough to handle for today.

Tomorrow will bring something else, something new, something different, something that requires our attention in other ways. If we're consumed with tomorrow, our chance at life today is diminished—even lost.

Open up to the wonder of now—this is the moment in which to savor life.

Focus my attention, O God, on the gift of this moment. Keep me from lurching toward tomorrow as if today had no reality, no meaning, no importance. Keep me alive to this present moment, this given day.

The Signposts for July are written by Renée Miller and originally appeared on explorefaith.org in 2004.