On several occasions Jesus instructed people on the issue of worry. “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself” (Matthew 6:34). He warned people that worrying about life is a form of not trusting God. That makes sense. The warning to not worry is easy to keep on the radar.

What often goes missed is a danger that is similar yet opposite. While we shouldn’t waste all of our energy worrying about tomorrow, it is also true that we shouldn’t waste all of our energy wishing for tomorrow.

Sometimes we can put so much hope in what tomorrow might bring that we spend all of the present wishing to be in the future. What is it that grabs your heart’s attention so much that you spend your energy wishing for tomorrow? James brought up a good point: “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that’” (James 4:14,15).

We have an idea of what tomorrow might bring, and maybe it’s even exciting. Don’t let wishing for tomorrow’s possibilities divert you from the purpose God intends for today. Your Savior doesn’t just promise you a better future. He is active right now with you today, empowering you to live out your purpose as a redeemed child of God.