Anxious about your future? Just do your next right thing for today.

Tomorrow. The future. 2 weeks from now. One day from today. 3 years from now…

Often, my head is spinning when I think about the future, the what if’s, and the worries. And if you ask me, pondering all those unknowns can be debilitating. It steals my joy in the present. It tempts me to think I’m the queen of my future and it’s never wise to make those predictions.

Truth is, I’m called to live in today as Jesus said, “Tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Sure, it’s wise to plan. I love to plan but I have to be willing to let my plans get interrupted, changed, or flipped upside down.

Truth is, there’s no way in the world to make calculated predictions and decide for ourselves what life will look like months from now. Many times, all that’s required of us is to just take the next step. To do the next right thing that’s exactly in front of us.

So what does that mean for you?

Maybe it’s scheduling the counseling appointment you know you and your spouse really need.

Maybe it’s applying for a ministry or job in the community God has put you in.

Maybe’s it’s pursuing unity in a relationship by texting or calling to meet with a friend.

Maybe it’s inviting others into your home and building the community you desperately desire.

Maybe it’s simply enjoying the stage your kids are at right now – not where they’ll be next year.

Your next right thing won’t be what your neighbor or friend’s next best thing is. It’s unique to you. It’s about where God has put you right now.

Jesus promises to take care of your every need. He clothes the grass. He feeds the birds. He grows the lilies. How much more will he cover all your needs and then some? (Matt. 6:28)

I’m preaching to myself today as I look at soaring gas prices and make various decisions for the coming months. I preach to myself knowing I’m a very anxious soul without the help and empowerment of Jesus – each and every day.

But I know Jesus says tenderly to you and me:

Don’t be anxious about your future. Seek his kingdom and all those things will be given to you. Enjoy the gift that is called today. This world needs you right where you’ve been placed.

Love,

Samantha

Samantha Krieger is wife to Jeremiah and mama to 2 boys & 2 girls- 13 and under. She loves iced coffee, TJ Maxx, and mascara. She’s the author of Quiet Time: A 30-day Devotional Retreat for Moms in the Trenches. Her work has been featured on the Today Show online, Love What Matters, and Cafe Mom. She writes from Florida’s gulf coast and enjoys connecting with readers on her personal blog, Facebook and Instagram.

How to Handle the “In Between”

The week after Christmas tends to be an awkward week for me. The whole month of December, I anticipate Christmas. Everything I do centers around Dec. 25. And then once it’s over, I’m not quite sure what to do.

I could relate to writer Marcus Hathcock in the recent RELEVANT Magazine article, “The Thud After Christmas” when he said, “There is a huge build up to Christmas… You get the feeling that the world is getting ready for something big and mysterious.”

Then Christmas happens and life moves on the next day as if it were never here. Marcus likened it to the radio stations instantly going back to their regular programming: “No tapering down the carols, just a clean break. A thud.”

I love how he uses the word thud because that’s exactly what it has felt like for me. I’ve asked myself a few times: Now What? What’s the next thing to look forward to?

This week, I’ve struggled with being in the in-between. Christmas is over and 2012 is on the horizon. I have my share of concerns about what the future will hold and what changes might occur.

But one thing has brought me true comfort and peace as I wrestle and grapple with the in between.

Going to God in His Word to be reminded and assured of his promises.

I easily forget that Jesus is enough. We hear it so much but it’s so true. He is all I need as I anticipate a brand new year that will hold only the Lord knows! This doesn’t mean that I don’t plan, work hard, make changes, set some goals, and more. Those things will happen.

But the point is that my eyes should not be on myself and what concerns I have. Or how I feel. Or frankly what I need to do. I actually end up getting depressed when I look too hard at myself.

My focus should be upon Christ, his Word, his ways, serving Him and His people. And above all to fulfill what I’ve been put on this earth to do- to know Him and make Him known.

I’m never disappointed when I begin placing my trust in what He says. And somehow, when my eyes are upon Him instead of self, I always end up finding true joy, comfort, and satisfaction. All the things that I’m pretty sure I was looking for in the first place.

Over the past few days I’ve noticed that the thud is slowly fading away and my anxiety about 2012 is turning into excitement and joy about what God will do and reveal about himself.

Have you felt the thud or struggle with the in between?

Finding My Way

Yesterday, I walked to our local Starbucks with my little ones to try a mocha coconut latte. A few minutes into our walk, I noticed a man following close behind me. I pulled off into the grass with my stroller so he could pass us.

“Oh, thank you. I’m just trying to find my way!” he said in a long, drawn-out voice.

He glanced down at a piece of paper and had a pencil in his hand. He asked me where Worth Street was and I guided him to it.

He went on his way and I immediately thought about how much I related to his words. In life I often feel like I’m trying to find my way. I wonder if God is taking me down the right path. Does he really know my deepest dreams and desires for the future? Is He with me?

My prayers in college were to marry a godly man, have children, be involved in ministry/be on mission, and write. And I’m so thankful that at 28 years old, God has brought all of those to me and so much more. I’ve been living those dreams for several years now, day in and day out.

But often in the back of my mind I still think I need to “arrive” in life.

The truth is that I have all I need right now, and God is finding the way for me. He’s finding those dreams in the deepest recesses of my heart and he’s fulfilling them. I don’t have to figure them out or manipulate them to come true. He’s working even when I don’t see it.

He’s answering prayers according to His will, even if his ways aren’t exactly what I planned. He always knows best. He’s proved his faithfulness in the past and will continue to prove his future grace.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. – Prov. 3:5-6

Do you ever feel like you have to “arrive”?