Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Matthew 6:34
On Friday the 12th of August, the day after this post goes out, I will turn 34 years old.
I’m not going to waste anyone’s time going into an autobiography, nor will I give you “34 things I’ve learned” or anything like that.
Instead, I would just like to share a few thoughts.
This week I wrote a silly little parable about our dog, and yesterday we tied that to the famous verses in Matthew 6 about anxiety, about relying on God’s provision for our rest.
This year, as I turn 34, I want to meditate daily on that 34th verse of Matthew 6:
Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Friends, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in life so far, it’s that you can only take the step right in front of you, no matter how small. Day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute. One step at a time.
On the day I write this, I enjoyed some pre-birthday time out and about in my favorite places: the local plant nursery, a coffeeshop I love, the marina boardwalk, some antique shops. And at each stop I found myself pausing and reminding myself, Be here now. Right here, right now.
Because it’s too easy (for me, anyway) to think about what’s coming next. To get excited for the next place, the next thing. Instead, I wanted to savor.
And that’s, I think, the unwritten side of the coin in Matthew 6:34. It’s not just about not worrying too far ahead, about keeping your worries tied to the present. It’s about savoring the day—the hour, the minute, the step—you’re in. You can’t savor without staying present.
I’m hoping, in my 34th year of life, to cultivate presence, and allow savoring to take root in my life. And I’m going to start by recognizing that all of you are in this present with me!
To that, I can only say thank you.
Thank you for reading, for commenting, for sharing with each other in this space. Thank you to each silent reader. Thank you to each person who has reached out, or shared my work, or supported me through subscriptions both free and paid. I appreciate every single one of you.
I know it’s not considered common practice to share subscriber counts here on Substack, but our audience of free subscribers has hit 100 recently. While the numbers go up and down a bit, I can’t believe how many of you have invited me into your week through these emails! You make me feel that my words have weight.
To wrap this up: I am grateful.
I enter 34 with gratitude, and with a desire to savor every moment.
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Happy Birthday eve! This really resonates with me, I struggle in the same way to savor the moment I’m in. Thank you for your words, and may your blessings be overflowing this coming year. 💕
Happy pre-Birthday!
One thing about getting pulled into the future, is that it can be just as much about fantasizing about happiness as it can about worrying. And for me, it's the fantasies that are most problematic. The reason is that there is a very subtle temptation underneath them - to put my satisfaction outside of my own reach. Unhealthy fantasies are always built on the premise that today is not the day. It wasn't until my 37th year that I realized this was robbing me of joy (1 Thessalonians 5:16).
May your next year overflow with moments of joy!