Slow Down and Focus on Now

Sometimes, thinking about the future makes me feel stressed. I can get caught up trying to figure out what I’m going to do, and I can miss out on a lot.One of the most important things I can miss out on when I’m only thinking about the future is the present. I might not notice the ways God is already working in my life. And if I am so focused on the future that I don’t see the present, I will have a hard time trusting God.Why? Because I will not see the work He is doing right now.But when I slow down and look for signs of God working in my life in the present, I’m reminded that I can trust Him to continue to work in the future. When I don’t let myself focus on the here and now, fear starts to take over for me. Worries—about what might happen, what I should do, what I shouldn’t do—pile on top of each other. It’s easy to forget that God already knows the future, and He will be working out His good purposes then—just as He is now.God does so much in my life each day. As I pay attention to how He is caring for my needs, guiding me, and helping me grow, I am reminded that I don’t need to figure out how He is going to work in the future. As I look ahead, I can have confidence because I know that God will be with me. • Emily Acker• Do you ever feel stressed when you think about the future? While it can be good to consider what might happen and plan what we might do, there are lots of things we can’t know—or control—about the future. But if we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we can know that He will always be with us and nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:28-39). How might this truth give you hope? • How have you noticed God working recently? Consider taking a moment to thank Him for this. “And remember, I [Jesus] am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20b (CSB)

Read Verses:

Matthew 6:25-Matthew 6:34; Matthew 28:20