The Frantic Mother and the Shelf-Stable Milk 😂

Apparently, this morning I became that mother.

It began innocently enough.

Check the water filter.
Realize it hasn’t been replaced in years.
Order new filters.

Then came the emergency supplies.

Tuna.
Chickpeas.
Soup.
Electrolytes.
Water.

And then I discovered something astonishing:

Milk that does not live in the refrigerator.

Who knew? 😂

Suddenly I was thinking about everyone.

What will my husband eat?
What will the kids drink?
Do we have enough water?
Where is the manual can opener?
Does the generator actually work?

It sounds a little frantic—and perhaps some of it was.

But underneath all that activity was something very ordinary.

Love.

This is what mothers do.

We hear that something might happen and immediately begin counting cans of tuna.

We cannot control tomorrow. We cannot anticipate every storm, power failure, emergency, or unexpected turn in life.

And Scripture reminds us not to worry about tomorrow.

But not worrying about tomorrow does not mean being unprepared for it.

There is a difference between preparing from fear and preparing from love.

I can put water on the shelf.

I can make sure there is food in the cupboard.

I can buy the mysterious milk that apparently lives in an aisle. 😂

I can remind my husband—again—to fix the generator.

And then I can let tomorrow belong to God.

Because ultimately, my family’s security does not rest upon how many cans I manage to stack in the pantry.

I prepare because I love them.

I trust because I love God.

Maybe that is the quiet difference between fear and preparation.

Fear says, I must control what happens.

Love says, I will care for what has been given to me.

Faith says, What I cannot control, I place in God’s hands.

Jesus said, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” — Matthew 6:34

Perhaps wisdom simply adds:

Don’t fear tomorrow.
Prepare reasonably for it.
Then leave tomorrow with God.

So yes.

Today I am stocking the pantry.

But hopefully, I am also remembering:

God is already there in the tomorrow I am trying so hard to prepare for. ❤️