Monday; February 8

Those of us in Southern Maryland got quite a shock on Sunday. After the weather forecasters prepared us for several hours of cold rain, Mother Nature decided to blanket us with several inches of wet snow. I have to admit they were some of the most beautiful snowflakes I have seen in a while but trying to get people out of the snow-covered church parking lot was a lot tougher than dealing with some rain. Meteorologists have gotten pretty good at pinpointing their forecasts but the snow was a good reminder that they can predict what might happen, but until it does, no one is for sure.
As thought about the surprising snow, it reminded me that life can be uncertain. Sure, we can make plans and we can even do a pretty good job of predicting what should happen if we make this choice or that decision; but that doesn’t mean that it is a 100% guarantee. We often quote the warning that James gives us about the brevity of life, “You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”, but I think the introductory statement may be just as meaningful, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’ Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.” (James 4:13-14).
Let’s do our best to make solid plans with our lives; but let’s not forget that until it happens, the future is just an assumption. God has made promises to us about our future, but often those promises have to do with eternal life, not our years on earth. Let’s not become disappointed or disillusioned when things don’t go the way we expect. Remember, God will get us through it whether we expected it or not.

Think About It!

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