Finding Energy for Tomorrow

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?’” (John 11:25-26;NIV)

Carpe Diem! Seize the day! A phrase for all those trying to find energy to complete their day or charge ahead to experience life in its fullness in the day they are living in, even if they are struggling.

However, I often ask myself, what about tomorrow?

I know tomorrow is never promised to us, but we still should be prepared for it, right?

I guess I’m thinking about the families who lost loved ones in the Orlando shooting, the parents who lost their child to an alligator at Disney World, and many others who are dealing with tragedy today that will continue when they wake up the next day and beyond.

The grief will fade, but the memories will last. How do they make it into tomorrow? How do they find the energy to keep going into tomorrow when they have been worn out from today?

How do we go forward when we have been struggling through our present?

I know, these are a lot of questions, but I seriously struggle with this. I am praying for these families trying to figure out how to make it through and individuals I know who have turned to dependence on substances to get through their day and cope with tomorrow.

There is hope for tomorrow, but we need to know that hope today to prepare us for the possibility of tomorrow.

I look to the story of Mary and Martha calling on Christ the moment their brother was ill and close to the point of death. They called on Jesus with full knowledge that only He could do the work to rescue their brother. Jesus didn’t do it. He let Lazarus die. Mary and Martha had to sit and watch their brother be buried feeling as if the one person who could have done something chose not to.

Why?

He told His disciples it was in order for them to believe that He allowed the death to occur. What? The pain of death, the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job, the loss of financial security, and much more, all for us to believe?

Exactly.

You see, as Jesus came to Mary and Martha’s side He said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” (John 11:40) Then, He called for Lazarus to come out and he joined the living again.

Jesus helped Mary and Martha understand that there is hope for tomorrow. Whether we can see it in our dark present, tomorrow light can come. Jesus is the way to find light in the darkness.

Even when we are trying to seize the day, the shadow can fall on us, but how to find the energy to continue into tomorrow? Through the One who brings life to the dead and the One who upholds His promises. He told Mary and Martha what to expect and He proved faithful.  

He may not raise the physically dead, but He can raise the spiritually and emotionally deceased. He will bring life back to you as you follow His lead.

Believe in His ability to get you into tomorrow, today. If you don’t see tomorrow here, then you will see tomorrow in Eternity, in perfect life everlasting in which God still proves faithful in His promise.

Find peace in your present. Seize the day, but be ready for tomorrow. Know that Christ is faithful and will bring you through your struggle. He will provide the rest you need and the hope necessary to move into tomorrow with peace. You may not be over the pain, but you can find peace while coping.

Then, you can seize that day in the hope of Christ.

May you know the true love and peace of Jesus. May you experience the glory of the Lord as you continue into tomorrow.

Peace and blessings friends.

QUESTION: How do you cope with daily struggles?