Years ago, a medical student at Montreal General Hospital, worried about his final examinations and what he should do with his life, picked up a book and read twenty-one words that changed his life, and through him have influenced generations of medical practitioners. His name was William Osler, and he went on to found the famous John Hopkins School of Medicine. The words that he read that day were written by Thomas Carlyle, who said: ‘Our main business is not to see what dimly lies at a distance, but to do what clearly lies at hand.’
In these words Thomas Carlyle was merely echoing one of the great spiritual principles Jesus taught. ‘Don’t worry about what may lie in the distant future,’ he said. ‘Concentrate on doing what God has given you to do right now, and He’ll give you everything you need.’