What about Tomorrow?

Then Jesus said to his disciples: Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Luke 2:22-24 NIV

What about tomorrow? Chances are, we have all asked or been asked that question at some point. We meet someone and talk about having lunch, maybe tomorrow. We know we need to do something, maybe tomorrow. We have a new place we want to go, but tomorrow never comes. We forget, get busy, or decide on something else. “Your actions reveal how badly you want something. If you keep saying something is a priority, but you never act on it, then you don’t really want it.” (James Clear, Atomic Habits)

Jesus talks about tomorrow and what is important. Two brothers tried to pull him into their sibling quarrel over their share of an inheritance. Instead of lecturing them, he tells them a story. “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ (Luke 12:16-19 NIV)

This man assumed he would have a tomorrow. He planned as if he always had tomorrows. He accumulated many material things and found himself with an abundant crop. What could he do? You notice his focus was on his own needs and what would benefit him. He had total control over how to use the abundance, but he did not control tomorrow. He completely left out the One who controls tomorrow. Jesus brings the story to a climax: “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ (12:20).

Contentment has always been found at a crossroads you have to choose. One road sign lists things like wealth, bigger houses, and food delicacies. Nothing is inherently wrong with these things, but they can easily shift the focus to the self as the center. Jesus ended his story with the timeless truth, “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God” (12:21).

At the crossroads, Jesus points us to the other road. It may not look as inviting at first, but in the end, it brings joy and contentment. As we align our money with faith, our world expands beyond our needs to include how we can impact God’s Kingdom. “Spend your money on the things money can buy. Spend your time on the things money can’t buy.” (Haruki Murakami)

It takes little time to watch a television show, read a magazine, view a reel on Facebook, or use any other media outlet to find the world’s answer to contentment. We are told we can find contentment in a product, activity, or service we must buy. Norwegian writer Arne Garborg writes, “You can buy food, but not appetite; medicine, but not health; soft beds, but not sleep; knowledge, but not intelligence; glitter, but not comfort; fun, but not pleasure; acquaintances, but not friendship; servants, but not faithfulness; grey hair, but not honor; quiet days, but not peace.”

What about tomorrow? If having, doing, and going are the answer, we should be the most content, happy, and well-adjusted generation in history. We live in the most prosperous, affluent era in history. There are more Solomons in terms of wealth, not wisdom, than at any time in history. So, what happened?

“Christianity observes that we’re discontent because our lives are disordered. It’s not that we love our work, our spouse, or other things too much; it’s that we love God too little in relation to those other things. The problem isn’t the intensity of our loves; it’s the order…Reordering love means we do not need to love things less, but love God more than anything else.” (Tim and Michael Keller, The Stories We Live By)

Jim Carrey, an actor and comedian, is known for roles such as The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, The Truman Show, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and many others. He has, without a doubt, achieved a certain level of success both materially and in terms of recognition. Yet in a commencement address at MIU, he spoke candidly about status. He said, “I’ve often said that I wish people could realize all their dreams in wealth and fame so that they could see that it’s not where you’re going to find your sense of completion.”

What about tomorrow? The man in Jesus’ story had made good, well-thought-out plans for tomorrow, but like so many, he failed to keep the focus on what is important. The man’s goals, and ultimately his contentment, rested on what would make his life easy. He was already thinking about what he would eat and drink, and what would make him merry.

Paul was writing to the gathered believers in Philippi, and his words are ones we can appreciate in our cultural context today: “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:11-13 NIV)

What about tomorrow? Let God build the storeroom!

God is great!

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