“Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it’s own.” Matthew 6:34
One last prayer request is for my foot/ankle. Back in September, I was experiencing some pain in it, which was diagnosed as Cuboid Syndrome, which basically means that one bone in my foot occasionally twisted a little bit, which caused pain. Last Thursday, the pain became much more severe and moved to the other side of my foot. I’m experiencing a lot of swelling and it is excruciating to walk. In fact, I’m using a cane to help me walk and would probably use crutches if I could (I can’t because of my arm). Please pray that the doctors would be able to discover what is wrong with my foot and to be able to know what would be best to help decrease the pain and hopefully treat it! Though I know it is very unlikely, it is possible for the CRPS to spread to my foot, which concerns me a lot. It is bad enough having the loss of one arm, to lose the use of a foot as well would be devastating.
It is so easy for me to jump ahead and begin to panic while thinking about the possibility of what could happen, but I’ve begun to learn that worry is a waste of energy and emotions. By thinking about all possibilities of what might happen in the future, I’m investing emotions – both positive and negative – in future events that most likely will never occur. It is a much healthier use of emotions, energy, and time to concern myself with the present.
The idea of focusing on the present also helps when I begin to feel overwhelmed with the future. For example, when thinking about CRPS pain spreading, I begin to think that I cannot continue living with pain. It is easy to begin to think that the pain I feel at any exact moment will never end, which becomes overwhelming. When I start to feel overwhelmed with the future, I narrow my focus. Sometimes if a week is overwhelming, I concentrate on the next day, if a day is overwhelming, I concentrate on the next few hours, if even that is overwhelming, I concentrate on getting through the next few minutes. Eventually, every second feels like a miniature victory – another second which I have survived.
The concept of concentrating on the present can also be seen in the time that the Israelites were traveling in the desert. When God provided them for manna, he required that they pick up only enough for that day (except over the Sabbath) and only enough for their household. Any extra manna collected would spoil. The idea of God’s manna being provided is similar, I believe, to the way He provides us with courage. If we try to think about tomorrow, next week, or even next year, we begin to feel overwhelmed, however if we focus on today, the present, we are able to realize that God has given us the strength to make it through.
I’ve heard more than once the phrase “God never gives you more than you can handle,” however I strongly believe that is completely false. God can give you whatever He wants and you may not be able to handle it, however I do believe that He provides us with the strength to get through and the opportunity to escape any temptation.