Leave Tomorrow 'Til It Comes



Image from New Line Production of The Nativity Story

Several years ago there was a movie produced entitled “The Nativity Story”. As you can tell by the title this is a recounting of the story of the birth of Jesus. There is one scene in particular that has always stood out to me, mainly because I had always looked at the story as an outside observer but never through the eyes of Mary and Joseph. In this one scene Mary and Joseph have stopped for the evening. They are by a lake cooking a fish they had bought for supper and Joseph has just told Mary what the angel had told him about the conception of the child Mary was carrying.  The young couple, scared about what the future may hold, is sitting talking when Mary asks a question.

Mary: “Do you ever wonder when we will know?”

Joseph: “Know? Know what?”

Mary: “When he is more than just a child? Will it be something he says? A look in his eye?”

Joseph: “I wonder if I will even be able to teach him anything.”

Of course we know how the story unfolds, but to this young couple it was something that they could only wonder about.

Life is that way to all of us. We never know what tomorrow may bring. We never know what will unfold as our story continues. Many of us take life with ease and even flow while others struggle and worry about what will happen next.

There have been many nights that I have opened my eyes at 3:00 a.m. and found myself wide awake. It's in those wee hours of the morning that it often creeps in. It takes me by surprise, but when it does I may lie awake for a good while. I hate it when it comes in. I hate it that it lingers around. I hate it that it often returns night after night. I wish it would go away and sometimes it does. I wish it didn't exist, but it pops its head up at these convenient times. It changes shapes. It changes ways in which it attacks. It's hard to shake off. 

What is it?

Worry! 

We all have things that weigh heavy on our hearts. We have issues in our lives that cause us to be anxious and wonder how we're going to get out of the undesirable place in which we find ourselves. 

Long before "The Lord of the Rings" there was another little animated movie based on the Hobbitt. It was called "The Return of the King". It had several songs sung in the background. One of these was a little song that dealt with worry. It's entitled "Leave Tomorrow 'Til It Comes" by Glen Yarbrough. It's a simple song with a message that tells us to sleep easy; Tomorrow may help us look at things much more differently. 

Leave tomorrow till it comes
Sleep will ease your mind.
With the dawn you'll find
Problems realigned a different way
Than yesterday.
Leave tomorrow till it comes
Time is moving fast.
Don't go pushing past
Endings of the day
Till yesterday.

Tangled dreams unfold
And webs may disappear
Stories are retold
And cloudy thoughts will clear.
Leave tomorrow till it comes
Sleep will ease your mind.
With the dawn you'll find
Problems realigned a different way
Than yesterday,

The key to making it through these times is to remember that “The peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts in Christ Jesus”. If we do this then we will always know how the story will end.