bythemethod.com blog

Perhaps the biggest question any of us has to face is the about the existence of the soul. Is there something about us that lives on after death? Is there something in us that is not just physical but which can reach out to something beyond the physical.

Some scientists want us to believe that the only thing that is real is the physical world. If you can’t poke it with a stick then it doesn’t exist. Of course they go further than wanting to poke things with a stick but this is the essence of the argument. Then others seem to think that the physical is just an illusion. Who is right?

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One of those things that Jesus once said and I’ve always found quite a challenge in his advice about time management:

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matt 6:34

It’s not that I’m prone to worrying but that it would be easy to believe Jesus was saying that planning ahead was a bad thing to do. I don’t think that this is what Jesus meant us to believe. Why would Jesus expect us not to make plans or have dreams about the future? Surely this is part of being human and something that is impossible to achieve. What business would every survive without a plan for the future? What family would ever manage without a calender and forward planning?

What I think Jesus meant was for us not to WORRY (e.g. get stressed about for no good reason) about tomorrow because if we take care of today tomorrow is already taken care of. If we do what is right today – if we make our plans and get ourselves organised and give ourselves time for what is important today then there will be no need to worry about tomorrow.

However working out what is right to do today is a big topic that can’t be addressed in just a few words – other than Jesus summation of the task of course – “Love God, Love your neighbour as yourself” (my paraphrase).

So if Jesus were leading a time management seminar He would point out the importance of getting the right things done today while planning for tomorrow so tomorrow takes care of itself.