A golfer can ruin an entire round without hitting another bad shot.
All it takes is thinking too far ahead.
You make double bogey on the fourth hole and immediately start calculating what you need to shoot over the remaining fourteen holes. Or you are playing well through twelve and begin wondering whether today might finally be the day you break your personal best.
Suddenly, instead of playing the shot in front of you, you are playing holes that have not happened yet.
Experienced golfers know the answer: one shot at a time.
Jesus taught something remarkably similar about life.
In Matthew 6:34 He says, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (NIV)
We spend enormous amounts of energy worrying about things that have not happened. What will next month bring? What if this plan fails? What if circumstances change? What if something goes wrong?
Meanwhile, the opportunity God has placed directly in front of us can receive very little attention.
On the golf course, you cannot play the eighteenth hole from the seventh tee. You cannot make tomorrow’s putt today. The only shot you can actually influence is the one you are preparing to hit right now.
The same is true spiritually.
God gives us grace for today.
Lamentations 3:22-23 reminds us that His mercies are new every morning. We do not need tomorrow’s strength today because God will meet us there when tomorrow arrives.
That does not mean we should never plan. Golfers study the course, choose targets, and think strategically. Christians should make wise plans too. But planning is different from worrying.
Planning prepares us for the next shot. Worry causes us to live mentally on holes we have not reached.
When your mind starts racing ahead, return to what God has given you now. What decision needs to be made today? Who needs encouragement today? What responsibility needs your attention today?
You do not have to play the entire round at once.
Walk to your ball.
Choose your target.
Trust God.
Then play the next shot.
Reflection
Are you spending more time worrying about tomorrow than faithfully handling what God has placed in front of you today? Ask Him to help you focus on today’s responsibilities and trust Him with the holes you have not reached yet.