I get so caught up in the future sometimes. Do you do that?  I start thinking ahead, making plans, creating mental timelines in my head.  There is always so much to do, and I’m an organizer.  I want to know exactly when things are going to, or should, happen.  I’ve never been big on surprises.  I like to feel fully prepared for what’s ahead.  When I fold clothes, I stack them into piles according to where they are going and in what order I will get to those places – the clothes that go in my dresser on top, towels that belong in the bathroom next, things I will hang in the closet on the bottom.  I put detergent in the dishwasher immediately after I empty it in the morning, even though I will not turn it on again until we go to bed.  I keep extra garbage bags in the bottom of the trash can, so they are right there when I take a full bag out and need to replace it.  This is OCD at work my friends – feel free to borrow these fabulous, time-saving tips, completely free of charge.:)

Of course, I’m not just talking about the little things here.  I fret about the big things coming up as well.  When should we allow our children to get cell phones?  When should they go to sleep away camp, stay home alone, learn about sex?  I think about these things all the time.  My husband has actually requested that, for Lent, I refrain from starting any sentences with the phrase, “I’m worried about . . .”

I would love it if someone would create a calendar for me, and map out my future with an accuracy I couldn’t question.  Tell me when I should sell my house, go back to work, take a mission trip with my family.  Make it crystal clear, so that I am not constantly worrying about the timeline of my life. 

I’m sure my need for clarity comes back to that whole control issue of mine.  Of ours, actually.  No doubt, we ALL want to be in control of something.  Or, in my case, everything. 

In Proverbs 3:5 it says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart . . .    

Dang that’s hard. 

Trust in the Lord?  I want to, I really do.  But I can’t see him.  I can’t hear him.  I can’t invite him over for lasagna and listen to what he has willed for me for the next fifty years or so.   

Jeremiah 29:11 says, For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  

Again, that’s very cool and all, reassuring even, but what I REALLY want, deep down, is a detailed list of those plans you’ve got for me, God, in numbered order.  

The funny thing is, I do feel hope when I think about the future.  I believe God has great things in store for me and my family.  I also know, without a doubt, that we will have struggles.  Tough ones.  Because God promises those too.

John 16:33  “In this world you will have trouble.”

There ya go.  There is no ‘might’ here, people. The word is ‘will’.  This is truth, in all its awfulness, coming right out to warn me, Watch out girl, cuz’ sometimes, life is gonna suck. 

Guess what though?  There’s good news.  Of course, there’s good news!  Bible verses are from the Bible, remember?  And the Bible is all about good news.  You see, Jesus was the one who said that line about having trouble, and Jesus . . . well, He actually IS the good news.  So, the rest of that verse about having trouble goes like this:

“But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”

Smile.

Sigh.

Rejoice!

I don’t have to worry about what’s next.  I don’t need to fret about when this will happen or when I should do that.  I don’t know exactly where life will take me.  I’m on a path – one designed only for me, one never travelled before - and there are curves up ahead I can’t see beyond.  The path won’t always be straight.  It’s much more interesting than that.  It will have all kinds of twists and turns. There will be valleys so deep I might fear never climbing out of them.   There will be vast oceans to cross, days and days when I see nothing but sameness all around.  At any moment, a storm could turn up, swirling me into a darkness that seems to have no end.  But, there will be sunshine along my path as well.  There will be new places, where beauty abounds and love prevails.  There will be mountaintops of glory where I can look back and see how far I’ve come.  And as I make my way to each destination along my journey, I will be met with the One who mapped out my path from the very beginning . . . the One who takes every step with me . . . the One who knows each decision I will make before I make it. 

No, I don't have to worry about what's next.  Instead, I can trust, and hope, and try to enjoy the surprises, because as long as I’m following Jesus . . .  does it really matter where I’m going?