Enough Trouble of its Own

By saying that today has enough trouble of its own, Jesus reminds us that all these things we have been trying to avoid have come to us by divine appointment and we are called to be faithful in them. Whatever was true of the past and whatever may come to pass in the future, we have enough to occupy us in the here and now. Yet why would Jesus think that these vivid reminders of our impotence bring any comfort? The reality check that He provides may be alarming at first because it underscores our helplessness and vulnerability, but once we have recovered from the shock, it comes to us as something of a relief. It turns out we have been trying to shoulder a burden we were never meant to carry. What our anxiety about the future really amounts to is a failed attempt to put ourselves in the place of God. We have been trying to control our own destiny.