When I was a girl, Annie, the Broadway musical was all the rage. Girls across the United States were inundated with Annie paraphernalia. If a person wanted to look like Annie, a new image was waiting, right at K-Mart. This was a pre-Wally World era. The Annie character became even more famous in the 1982 Annie movie starring Carol Burnett as mean Miss Hannigan, Aileen Queen as Annie, and a host of wonderful actors and performers.
My favorite and most memorable moments of the movie are centered around the songs. Even today I can sing, It’s a Hard Knock Life, occasionally subbing forgotten words with a few made up ones. Tomorrow is one of my all-time favorite songs. Annie sings this when she goes to the White House and meets Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Tomorrow, a song about hope, opens up with an emphatic prophecy, “The sun’ll come out tomorrow.” Right there in the first few words we are reminded and comforted about tomorrow. But what about today?
This pandemic has brought a level of worry to the world like never before. Parents are worried about their children’s education and well-being. Graduates are worried about their future jobs and goals. Families are worried about sick relatives. Front-line workers are worried about getting sick and passing covid 19 to their loved ones. Unemployed people are worried about the necessities of life. Employed people are worried about job security. Some people are worried about the economy. Others are worried about getting healthcare treatments not associated with covid 19. I’m sure most of us have worried about today and tomorrow at some point these last few weeks.
Today, tomorrow seems to be a bit overwhelming to think about. We are all hoping for the day in which we don’t have to worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. In the Gospel of Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus tells us not to worry about tomorrow. But he doesn’t tell us this because tomorrow isn’t important, or because our troubles are not valid. Christ shares this message because God, the Father, knows our every need.
Jesus tells us to look at the birds , the lilies, and the grass. These are faith builders and living proof that our heavenly Father not only knows our needs but supplies our needs. Knowing this makes me want to put on a curly red wig and “Stick out my chin and grin.” Even when we are “Stuck with a day that’s gray and lonely,” God still gives us reminders that the Son will come out. Share Christ with someone today!