What if I don’t know what my future holds?
Title: Still Life with a Skull and a Writing Quill
Artist: Pieter Claesz (Dutch, Berchem? 1596/97–1660 Haarlem)
Date: 1628
We are in a series called "Letters From My Future Self." It's been a fun series to work through as people constantly think about their future. In my experience, so much of tomorrow is dictated by what we do today. The habits that we have, the choices that we make, and the responses of today will inevitably play out in our future. This is good because it gives us some semblance of control. We can make an impact on what our future looks like if we do the right things.
The problem is we don't always do the right things because we don't know the right direction to take, right?
If I would ask you:
What job do you want in 5 years?
What school do you want to go to in 3 years?
What do you want your family to look like in 10 years?
You might have an idea, but chances are, we would have some indecision for a majority of people. This leads you to the question, "Do I really want to lock this in today? If I do this, am I just stuck? Do I have to do things this way right now?"
This struggle of indecision leads us to fear and worry because we don't know what our future holds.
Bad news: You will never know what your future exactly holds.
Good news: God does.
This week, we have been working through Ecclesiastes. I love the writer's wisdom in the first part of 9:1: "Indeed, I took all this to heart and explained it all: The righteous, the wise, and their works are in God's hands."
If we live in righteousness and are wise, well then everything we do is in God's hands. If we believe that The Lord truly wants to work for the good in our lives, as it says in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” then we don’t need to worry about what our future holds because we are trusting in God.
I find it fascinating that the writer of Ecclesiastes says that but then follows it up by saying this in the second part of verse 1: "People don't know whether to expect love or hate. Everything lies ahead of them." He understood that no one knows what to expect out of life. There is no way of fully knowing what our lives will look like in the next week, let alone the next decade. The future is filled with unknowns!
That's kind of the point of faith, though, right? Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” We are never really going to know. We just have faith and trust.
That doesn't completely relinquish our responsibility, though. If we were just going off of the second portion of Ecclesiastes 9:1, then sure. But we have to remember the first part. God has called us to righteousness and wisdom! We have a part to play. We are not simply separated from the story; we are an integral part of the story.
What are some simple ways that you can improve on and practice righteousness and wisdom?
1.Check your habits.
Do you have sinful habits? That is probably keeping you from righteousness. Cut those out as soon as possible! Get some accountability and control, and move to something better. One way that will massively improve your sinful habits is by having wisdom. The best place to gain understanding is in the word of God. Not only do we have God speaking directly to us, but we also have some of the Lord's best followers ever sharing their life experiences with us! We can glean so much from the lives of others who have followed God if we open his words.
2. Check your circle.
The other best place to gain wisdom? The people you do life with. Two easy questions to consider about your circle.
Do they follow the Lord?
Do they motivate you to follow the Lord?
That doesn't mean you must have kumbaya bible study 24/7 with your friends, but they should walk with you down the right path.
3. Check your motives.
Your desires for the future should be for God's glory, not your glory. If it's for yourself, your works will be in your hands and not God's… I shouldn't have to tell you, but I am going to, that that will not end well for you. Trust in him to make all things work out because he wants to!
I have had the words of the song Trust In God stuck in my head this whole time.
Perfect submission, all is at rest
I know the author of tomorrow has ordered my steps
So this is my story, and this is my song
I'm praising my risen King and Savior all the day long
I trust in God, my Savior
The one who will never fail
He will never fail
I want to live my life with this in mind. Sure, I may not know what my future holds, but God does, so I will trust in him.
About the Artwork
Title: Still Life with a Skull and a Writing Quill
Artist: Pieter Claesz
Date: 1628
Where is this at: The Met
Fun Fact: Pieter Claesz was the most important still-life painter in Haarlem in the 1620s. You could probably guess it, but Haarmlem was also very different from Harlem. Cool art out of both though.