EVERY TOMORROW HAS TWO HANDLES

"Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith." -Henry Ward Beecher
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So which one did you turn on or would turn on for your tomorrows?

I’ll tell you this… many choose the first one rather than the second. Why? --Because it is closer to one’s nature --- worrying. Anxiety is defined by Mr. Webster as worry, fear, nervousness, apprehension, fretfulness, unease, angst. That’s you and me and others more. Quite a normal human thing, as most would say. No big deal.

But what does worry or ANXIETY exactly give you?

Just about EVERYTHING YOU DON’T NEED for a healthy confident peaceful happy existence. I know that will ring a bell or two (perhaps a dozen more) for you as it does for me too.

Certainly you’ve been through anxiety repeatedly throughout the years and which undoubtedly ate up a big chunk of your life; but you now realize that it has served you no good purpose at all. Not one bit. It simply brought you to an unhappy and unhealthy state of mind body and soul. And maybe there’ll even be more tomorrow. But there’s no need for me to go into the nitty-gritty process of explaining how. You have experienced it thus you know just what I mean.

That defines the handle of anxiety.



Let’s try the other one --- the handle of FAITH.

Do I see a faint smile on your face? It looks like you’re half there and half nowhere. Oh but I get it--it’s an old fashioned thing incongruous to our modern times, isn’t it? We believe facts, science, and technology – things which we could see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. This ‘faith’, what’s that?

Okay, let me tell you a little story.

My life has been one long tough journey and it’s not over yet. I guess it never is over until it is over. Now with every turn or corner down the bend I always thought that one sorry surprise would lurk behind it (I was that anxiety freak)– a sure-fire joy buster! That was enough to make me want to stay rooted where I was and not move forward even an inch and now --as a veteran of life’s bumpy roads and paths (oho! I got many years behind me), I know just what and how it’s like when you come face-to-face with an ugly upheaval monster or monsters. Yes, it crazily throws you off-course and coldly leaves you feeling quite shaken lost inadequate and defeated on the lonely wayside. Adding to the pain is that nobody stops to pick you up and stand you on your feet again. I wondered then just ‘where did the good people go?’

Not a pretty picture, I agree, but from out of that sorry state was born the ‘mustard seed of faith’ which I remember God requires from His children -- meaning you and me and the rest of the human race.

It’s not such a big thing asked of us. Fact is, it is simply a small sized measure of faith, belief, and trust – tiny as a mustard seed known to be the smallest seed in the world. Can you believe that? It sounds too simple, doesn’t it? --Because it is. But you won’t find it in your head. It resides in your heart and without fail will rise when called upon.

What will summon it to the fore? It is this -- that despite being in the midst of pain suffering and tears – and having done everything which you possibly could and lost --- you turn your gaze to God and with all the strength left in you and the faith you can muster up, you say to Him…..

‘Here, Lord, You take it; you can do a better job of it than I can.’

Then the miracle happens!

So then, which handle did you turn on or would turn on with your tomorrows? Your anxiety handle or your faith handle? The answer is there in your heart.


posted on Tuesday, July 24, 2007 5:55 PM