Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.

— Matthew 6:34 (KJV, excerpt)

There are evenings when I sit down to finish one thing and end up thinking through the whole next day. I can be looking at the same paragraph for ten minutes while my mind is off having a conversation that hasn’t happened.

This verse makes me think about the difference between getting ready and trying to live tomorrow in advance. If there’s something I need to bring with me, I can put it by the door. If there’s a question I need to ask, I can write it down. After that, there’s only so much I can do from where I’m sitting.

A small prayer for those evenings might be, “Lord, help me see what needs doing tonight, and give me some peace about the rest.” Then I can go back to the paragraph in front of me. I might even finish it before I think of another thing to worry about.