I've been thinking about tomorrow.
Not tomorrow as in Tuesday.
Tomorrow as in that place in my mind where I'm always going to finally get there.
Being born and raised in the Western world comes with a certain way of thinking. And I'm thankful for where I was born. There is a lot of good in it.
We dream.
We build.
We create.
We ask, What if?
And then, How can I make it happen?
That's certainly true of me.
I'm a dreamer. A big-picture guy. I see possibilities everywhere.
And I believe God created that part of me.
The Bible certainly has its share of dreamers, feelers, perceivers, encouragers and people who saw something that wasn't there yet.
Those things aren't bad.
But like most good things, they need balance.
I digress.
Which, if you know a dreamer, probably isn't surprising.
My Mind Is Always Somewhere Ahead of Me
I can wake up in the morning and immediately start thinking:
What if I did this?
What could this become?
How could I make that happen?
What should I create next?
And there's something good about that.
A lot of things in my life probably wouldn't exist if I didn't think that way.
But I've also started noticing something about myself.
Sometimes my mind is somewhere else.
Somewhere out there.
Somewhere called tomorrow.
And the strange thing about tomorrow is that I never seem to catch it.
It's always one step ahead of me.
I get closer.
I accomplish something.
I create something.
I reach a goal.
And tomorrow moves again.
Just a Little Bit More
There's an old saying about a rich man being asked how much money would be enough.
His answer was:
“Just a little bit more.”
I think we can do the same thing with almost anything.
Just one more goal.
One more project.
One more idea.
One more accomplishment.
One more trip.
One more business.
One more thing I want to create.
One more version of myself I'm trying to become.
Then I'll get there.
But where exactly is there?
That's what I'm beginning to wonder.
The Possibilities Are Endless
What we're dealing with today isn't really new.
Human beings have always wanted more.
We've always dreamed about tomorrow.
We've always wondered what could be.
It's just been repackaged.
The internet multiplied the possibilities.
And now AI has multiplied them again.
I could probably pursue a million ideas over the remainder of my life.
And achieve none of them.
That's the strange part.
I could spend the rest of my life telling myself:
I'm almost there.
And never quite arrive.
Always in a hurry.
Always anticipating.
Always thinking tomorrow I'll get it.
Tomorrow I'll finish it.
Tomorrow I'll achieve it.
Tomorrow I'll have more time.
Tomorrow I'll finally be able to slow down.
And while I'm doing that...
my life is happening.
Meanwhile, There Are People Sitting Beside Me
This is the part that gets me.
While I'm mentally living somewhere out in tomorrow, the people God has put in my life are living today.
My family is here today.
My friends are here today.
Someone needs encouragement today.
Someone needs a shoulder to cry on today.
Someone is walking through something they don't understand today.
Someone may simply need me to sit down, listen and be there.
And the person God created me to be, His hands and feet, an encourager, someone available to love and help people, can be so busy pursuing tomorrow that I miss the people sitting right beside me today.
That's hard for me to admit.
Because pursuing tomorrow doesn't necessarily look bad.
I might even be pursuing really good things.
But good things can still take me away from the people and things God has put in front of me.
Tomorrow Is a Subtle Thief
That's why I've started thinking of tomorrow differently.
Tomorrow is a subtle thief.
It doesn't walk through the front door and announce that it's taking something from me.
It whispers:
Just finish this first.
You're almost there.
Things will slow down soon.
You'll have time for that later.
Tomorrow.
And tomorrow sounds so reasonable.
Until enough tomorrows become years.
The kids grow up.
Our parents get older.
Friends move away.
People change.
Our bodies change.
The seasons of life change.
And eventually tomorrow's countdown becomes life's final days.
I don't want to reach that point and realize I spent my life preparing to live.
I don't want regret over conversations I didn't have.
People I didn't notice.
Time I didn't give.
Encouragement I didn't offer.
Moments I wasn't really present for because my body was there but my mind was somewhere else.
So I'm Trying to Choose Today
Jesus said:
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.”
— Matthew 6:34
I'm beginning to hear those words a little differently.
I still want to dream.
I still want to create.
I still want to ask what if?
I still want to build things and pursue ideas.
That's part of who God created me to be.
I don't think God is asking me to stop being a dreamer.
I think He's teaching me not to let my dreams steal today.
So I'm trying to choose today.
Live today.
Love today.
Encourage somebody today.
Be available today.
Listen today.
Help somebody walk through the trial they're facing today.
Sit with someone who needs a shoulder today.
Enjoy my family in the stage they're in today.
Thank God for what He's already given me today.
And tomorrow?
If God gives me tomorrow, I'll deal with it when it becomes today.
I'll probably have another idea.
Probably several.
I'll still dream.
I'll still wonder what could be.
I'll still be me.
But I hope I'm learning to hold tomorrow a little more loosely.
Because there will always be another idea.
Another possibility.
Another goal.
Another what if?
But there will never be another today.
Choose to live in today.
Because tomorrow is a subtle thief.