I was recently reminded of a song I used to sing when I was a child called “Today, Not Tomorrow.” It’s a well-written story of a man with the best intentions. It begins:

He was planning to be all a mortal could be,

Tomorrow.

No one would be kinder or braver than he,

Tomorrow.

The story continues, explaining all the great and amazing acts that he planned to do, tomorrow. A sick friend in need of help, the struggling poor of his town, letters to write, changes to be made, he’d find an excuse each time to do it tomorrow.

It’s too bad, he agreed, but he’s busy today

And hadn’t a minute to stop on his way.

More time he would have to give others, he’d say,

Tomorrow.

Then, after wasting his time, he died, as we all will someday, and all that was left of his life was the mountain of things he intended to do, tomorrow. This man could have made a difference in some way, if he had ever had the inclination to do even just a few of the great things he said he would do, tomorrow.

Then the song goes on to say:

Tomorrow never comes,

For when it arrives, it’s today.

How true. Those of us who are waiting for a better chance, a clearer opportunity, or a less busy moment to help someone may never get around to doing the meaningful acts we intend to do.

The final lines of the song are beautiful:

Don’t put off the good you can do today

To ease someone’s burden along life’s way.

So many need your sweet love, and hey,

They need it today,

Not tomorrow. 1

If we value only the things of the here and now, we may never take the time to invest in the things of the hereafter. Sadly, the things with eternal value are often the things that we end up putting on that list “for tomorrow.” Life seems so pressing, and work, society, family, and responsibilities all crowd our senses, keeping us occupied with actions that often won’t last.

Through reading the Bible and growing in our relationship with Jesus, we can get a very good grip on what our heavenly priorities are. Once we discover that, it’s up to us to invest our time doing them.—Today, not tomorrow!

  1. Lyrics based on the poem “Tomorrow” by Edgar A. Guest (1881–1959) ↑