There is little in life that is certain. Expect the unexpected. That is a motto to live by. Life is full of surprises. But we are prideful and presumptuous people. We assume we’ve got tomorrow all figured out.
Many of us in America wake up and assume the day will be filled with prosperity. We are not well acquainted with the hardships of many people in this world. We fail to realize our prosperity, health, and freedom can all be taken away in an instant. It is optimism without reason. We assume that because we had something yesterday, we are guaranteed to have it tomorrow.
The same goes for pessimism. There are many who live life in a constant state of depression. They lived filled with doubt. They convince themselves nothing good can happen. They believe that their past failure and hardship is destined to be their future.
How foolish it is to assume we have got it all figured out. Listen to what James says:
You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. James 4:14–16 (ESV)
The truth is that none of us know what tomorrow will bring. When the weatherman predicts the weather, it is a prediction. Who wouldn’t love a profession where you get to be paid to be wrong? Ultimately, the weatherman doesn’t know what tomorrow will bring. He makes an educated guess. He may be able to tell what tomorrow will bring with relative certainty, but that doesn’t mean he will be right. As the days and weeks progress, his foresight becomes more and more limited.
We are a lot like that weatherman. We can predict what tomorrow may bring with relative certainty. Surprises will still catch us off-guard. The further we look ahead the less certain we are about what will be. We can be about as certain about our future as the weatherman is about the weather.
The encouragement here is to live in the moment. Don’t live in regret of the past. You can’t change that. Don’t live in worry about the future. The future will bring what the future will bring. What you have right now is this God-given moment, and it is this present moment that you have control over.
Consider this Psalm:
This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 (ESV)
This is the Lord’s day. This is the day he has made. He gave you a life to live today. This day is a day given to you as a gift. Will you make the most of it? Will you make it count? There is no guarantee of tomorrow. But what you have right now is this day.
It’s not just this day, but also the things that you possess. It’s your money. It’s your ability to see and to speak and to hear. It is friends. It is freedoms and liberties that you enjoy as being a citizen of the United States. These are things that are easily taken for granted, but tomorrow may be gone. We are not the owners of these things, but stewards. The question is if we will make use of these things as the Master intends in the short time he has entrusted them to us.
So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. James 4:17 (ESV)
It is the regret of the past and worry about future that will hold us back from doing the right thing. Failing to do the right thing we know to do is sin.
In the end we recognize there is only one thing lasting. We will one day lose everything we have. There is only one thing we can keep and hold onto forever. It is the relationship with Jesus Christ. We spend so much time and effort trying to keep everything else. It’s a vain pursuit. Isn’t it ironic how we pursue after all the things we cannot keep, but the one thing that remains is the one we ignore.
Imagine if you had only one month to live. What would you do differently? If we were living as God intends, it would not change much of anything. But so many of us are living in the past or the future. God has not called us to live in the past or the future. He has called us to live in the moment.
Questions for Reflection
- Make a list of the things you take for granted and assume will be around tomorrow.
- Are you an optimist or a pessimist? What do you think causes your optimism or pessimism?
- If you only had one month to live, what would you do differently? Then start doing it.
- Share your comments.
Cheri says
I love the analogy of the weatherman! This is so thought provoking and the first time that I felt compelled to write down the answers to the questions. Thank you.
Janet Baldwin says
Me too.
Janet Baldwin says
i do not think I would be anything different in the major scheme of things. If I had a month to live. But I would say some of the things I want my children and loved ones to remember. I would tell them that I had a great life and there is no need to feel sorry for me. If you grieve it is just that you miss seeing me. But if you look carefully I am all around you. In a joke, in a smile in a piece of work well done. I would want to remind them to hold fast to the Lord. Forgive yourself and others often. Laugh, love and enjoy life. Do not get caught up in material things. Do not wait to enjoy life when you get where you think you want to go but enjoy the journey.
Kaye Higgins says
AMEN,sister!! I couldn’t have said it better!! God bless you!
Pamela says
Thanks for reminding me of the importance of living in the moment. I spend so much time regretting the things that I did or failed to do in the pass and even worrying about the future that I miss the time I am given now…the present! Holy Spirit I need you to help me change this. It is draining me.
Christine Giles says
I agree with all the comments above but in addition I would finally find the courage to tell my husband that I want to go to church on Sundays instead of being away in our caravan a lot of the time. But that would make him unhappy so I can’t do that.
Phil Ressler says
Christine- I will pray for that courage for you and to be able to share with your husband in an honest way. We are called to speak truth and love together. That is hard to find that balance, but God gives us insight. The fact that your husband seems upset at the mention of church seems like he may potentially have some past issues with church that are still not resolved. I am speculating there based on what you shared. But it sounds like the issue may be about more than simply going to church. I will pray for the healing that may be needed in your husbands life.