And That’s the Truth!

In the 70’s there was a character called Edith Ann, played by Lily Tomlin. I remember enough about it to know that she acted very much like the 5 1/2 year old that she portrayed. As she was seated in a huge rocking chair, she would recount her childish antics, like making a sandwich for her dog, Buster, or playing connect the dots with permanent marker on her brother’s chicken pox. It was very funny, but the thing I remember is that she always ended her “talks” by saying, “And that’s the truth!”

Let’s think about what the truth is for a minute. Do you ever find yourself thinking about tomorrow or next week, or next month and being anxious? Do you imagine things that have yet to happen, and you think of all that could take place, might take place, and undoubtedly will take place!

There’s a song that says, “I don’t know about tomorrow, I just live from day to day; I don’t borrow from its sunshine, for its skies may turn to gray…” I have to smile when I sing it, because most of us don’t do that all the time. Whether it’s a scheduled doctor’s appointment, a financial crunch, a decision someone else is going to make that could effect us, an event going on in a loved one’s life, or even what the weather is going to do to our picnic (!) we, all too often, have each detail ironed out and the the trouble it’s going to bring long before the day ever happens!

“What’s wrong with that? You may ask.  “I have to be prepared, just in case!” The problem is that when we think into the future, we’re not thinking on the Philippians 4:8 things – the things that are true. It’s not true because it hasn’t happened yet. We waste so much of today by running ahead to tomorrow. The truth is – God is on the Throne today! He loves me. His grace is sufficient. Nothing that touches my life today is a surprise to Him. This is what is going on right now, this is the truth, and this is what we need to think about!

When your mind wants to run ahead to tomorrow, jump into “the rocking chair” of the present and only think and talk about what is happening right now – because that’s the truth!

With love,