Planning is a necessary part of life. But we often morph into worrying without even noticing how or why.

A big difference between planning and worrying is our perspective about what we control. There is something within us that somehow believes stressing gives us power to control events. We want to control circumstances so things will “work out".

God knows our every need.  If our plan doesn't work out, then we can make a new plan. Stress and worry won't change circumstances.

There is another aspect of this verse that's also vital. It's important to choose a true perspective about tomorrow, but it's also important to choose proper actions today. We cannot take action in the future. We can plan for the future, which is good. And we can stress about the future, which is bad. Jesus admonishes us to focus on what we can control, the choice we can make today.

We can trust our worry or we can trust God. We can take actions today but not tomorrow. These are the choices in front of us. When we choose wisely, we get peace with action. When we choose foolishly, we get stress and paralysis.  

Life on the plains is an opportunity for self-awareness. An invitation to ownership. Worrying about tomorrow won’t negate the necessary choices of today. We cannot avoid stewarding today’s opportunities. We can choose to look beyond it and thus let it pass us by. But that is a choice.