“With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future. I live now.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Planning ahead. We’ve all been told that this is a very responsible way to manage our lives. Five-year plans, ten-year plans, education plans, retirement plans- these are all good things. I am certainly not opposed to good planning. However, we can get so caught up in thinking about the future that we forget to enjoy the present. We start anticipating the next season before the current season has even ended.
Sometimes all of this looking ahead can cause us great anxiety. We start to worry about how it will all turn out. Fearful thoughts race through our brains as we try to foresee the future. As we worry about what will be, we forget to appreciate our present.
The truth is that none of us really knows what lies ahead. We might think that we have it all figured out, but Proverbs 27:1 reminds us “Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring.” None of us even knows how many tomorrows we have left. “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” (James 4:14) We need to keep the future in the proper perspective.
I may not know what the future holds, but I do know Who holds the future. God has great things in store for us. No need to worry or fret. He is with us every step of the way. Trust Him with your future today!
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”~Jeremiah 29:11