Does your future worry you?

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. And, while I’m at it, I’ll wish you a Happy New Year!

Merry and Happy. Two completely appropriate adjectives meant to show others that we want them to be cheerful, lively, festive, and joyous—all of those wonderful things. And, right on its heels, we’d love it if you could go into the new year being content, full of pleasure, well-adapted, and pleased.

What do you think when you get those greetings? Or at this point, do you think anything? We hear those words so often, it’s easy to miss the meaning behind them.

As I write this (before Christmas to make sure I don’t miss getting it done), I hope I am thoughtful every time I say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. And, if nothing else, writing this post is reminding me to do just that.

It’s easy to want our futures to be merry and happy. Especially during the Christmas holidays where we’re celebrating with family and friends. Church services are decorated. Songs are hopeful. Lights are everywhere. You would think the natural order of things would be that we’d go from these experiences right into the feeling that—as the pop group Timbuk 3 titled their 1986 Top 20 song—”The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades”.

That song brings back memories for some of you, doesn’t it? Many don’t realize the song wasn’t actually written as a positive view of the future, but instead a grim outlook on what might happen with a nuclear war¹. You may be in a similar condition.

You hear and say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. You put on a face that says to the world, “Things are perfect! Next year’s going to be a great year!” But, inside, you can’t see past what worries you.

It’s like a fence just in front of your face. Whatever your hopes and dreams for the future, they’re overshadowed by the barrier of today. Even things you know are coming up in the new year worry you today. It’s hard. I know.

You can influence some of your future, but some of it is coming and you can’t do anything about it. Maybe you have an upcoming surgery. Maybe you have bills to pay and you can’t see a way of making it through. Or, maybe someone has decided to stop a relationship.

Every time you try to celebrate and look to the future, those issues, those very real issues, block your view.

One of my daughters, who was around eight, wrote a Bible verse on an index card years ago as part of a Girls in Action class. She gave me the card, we talked about it, and I placed it in my truck’s console. About a week or so later, I got a call that my dad had been hospitalized. I prayed as I hopped into my truck. Through tears, I reached into the console to get a tissue and saw the card.

I pulled it out and read, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9, NASB)

Do I believe God orchestrated the Girls in Action having the girls write Bible verses on that Wednesday evening? That my daughter would write that verse? That she would give it to me? And I would put it in a place where I would need to read it right before I made a trip where without it, I would have worried the whole ride?

You bet I do. Whether you can see the future dimly or it appears as crystal, God is with you wherever you go.

Has He ever provided when you weren’t expecting it? I’d love to hear about it.

¹Timbuk 3 information taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Future%27s_So_Bright,_I_Gotta_Wear_Shades