Two Truths and a Lie about Tomorrow
I’ve been a military wife for over fourteen years now, and I’ve picked up a lot of lingo along the way. The most elite special warfare group has one particular saying: “The only easy day was yesterday.”[1] During training, combat recruits endure endless discomfort and rigorous exercises which test their physical, emotional, and mental abilities to the max. Each completed day of training is considered a victory. But they know tomorrow is coming, and, with it, another round of challenges—perhaps more difficult than yesterday’s.
I didn’t fully appreciate the meaning of this saying until I became a mom. Motherhood can often feel like an endless cycle of difficulties. Sometimes we feel like we can’t possibly survive another minute, and it’s tempting to throw our hands up in despair. But if you’re like me, when you tuck your children in at the end of a long day, most of the day’s troubles seem to fade away. Tantrums are forgotten. Messes on the kitchen floor become hilarious memories. Moments we felt sure we’d never survive are replaced with a cup of hot tea, a warm shower, and a good book. Ah, we made it. Sweet relief. Look at my precious sleeping children.
And yet, we know tomorrow is coming. We’ll likely repeat similar challenges, and we’ll be forced to reckon with any surprises we hadn’t anticipated. We’re grateful another day is behind us, but when we look ahead, we often feel defeated before we begin.
How can we wrestle against feelings of dread about tomorrow? Here are two truths and a lie to help us face the days to come with peace, contentment, and joy.
Truth: Tomorrow is uncertain.
We aren’t promised another day, and we can’t predict how tomorrow will unfold. If we’re honest, this truth can terrify us. Our ultimate powerlessness over the details of tomorrow can cause anxiety and fear. We imagine worst-case-scenarios and make a running list of every possible “what-if.” We can become paralyzed by unrealized fears, wondering if and how God will meet our needs and sustain us in our mothering.
And yet, there is also freedom in the face of a terrifying tomorrow. Why? Because it provides another opportunity for us to depend upon the Lord. Our limited knowledge can make us feel uncomfortable, but God says these limits are for our good. As we trust in his ultimate power over tomorrow, we experience security and stability in him, not in tomorrow’s outcomes.
Truth: Tomorrow is in God’s hands.
God is in control. He knows the number of hairs on our heads, stars in the sky, and grains of sand on the ocean floor. Nothing—and no one—is beyond the realm of his watchful eye. “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). We don’t need to fear for our well-being or provision or question whether or not God will exert his power in our lives. We can rest in him.
God is also perfectly wise, and he knows how tomorrow will unfold. We don’t know what his care will look like and the tangible ways he’ll demonstrate his love, but we can trust him to act in accordance with his character. Tomorrow, God will demonstrate love, goodness, mercy, justice—and every attribute he possesses. He upholds us through all we can’t see.
God has a good plan for all of our tomorrows: he’s working all things for his glory and our good.[2] Even if the worst-case-scenario does happen, we can trust his heart and receive his peace as we bring our concerns to him in prayer.[3] If God calls us to endure suffering, he will lead and comfort us with his presence, using every heartache to conform us to Christ’s image.[4]
Lie: Tomorrow is impossible.
Because we don’t know the ways tomorrow will affect us and we question our ability to endure the challenges before us, it’s tempting to spiral into dread. And Satan is ready to pounce upon our floundering faith.[5] The Evil One wants us to feel defeated and delights in our frustrations over the challenges we face in motherhood. He doesn’t want us to turn to Jesus, walk in the Spirit, and endure with joy. So, he dupes us into thinking that we can’t function, we won’t have what it takes, and we’ll screw it all up by the time we put breakfast on the table.
Yes, tomorrow might be really hard. But when we’re staring its challenges in the face, we can combat the lie that tomorrow is impossible with these truths:
God is with us. We may feel alone in our struggles and think our life is the worst because no one else understands the challenges we face. But there is one who understands, who sees, and who walks with us through it all. God promises to never leave us or forsake us.[6] He shepherds us through the darkest valleys, leads us to the greenest pastures, and restores our souls.[7] He goes before us and behind us, and he will bring us home to glory.
God is for us. In the face of a difficult tomorrow, Satan often tempts us to believe God isn’t loving. But his love doesn’t abandon us when life gets hard. His love never runs out, dries up, or quits holding us when difficulties arise. He cares for his people with gentle, tender, and loving affection. God’s love remains.[8]
God gives us everything we need. I’ve recently found great comfort in the truth that the Lord is our helper.[9] When we lean into his ever-present help, we experience the gift of dependency. He delights in proving his power in our lives. He gives us his strength in our weakness, his sufficiency in our inadequacy, his perfect wisdom in our uncertainty.[10] Our desperation and subsequent dependency on God’s faithfulness to provide are gracious gifts which fuel our joy.
Mama, tomorrow might be hard, but God is faithful to love us, sustain us, and uphold us. He will surely do it.
[2] Romans 8:28
[3] Philippians 4:6-7
[4] 2 Corinthians 3:18
[5] 1 Peter 5:8
[6] Hebrews 13:5
[7] Psalm 23
[8] Romans 8:38-39
[9] Psalm 54:4
[10] 2 Corinthians 12:9; James 1:5
