Saturday morning I crossed quickly over these train tracks on my way to find something unique to photograph.  The fog was thick and soupy, the temperature was cool and pleasant, and as I bounced over the tracks I slammed on the brakes when it appeared that the rails had vanished into the cloudy unknown.  As I back up to take a closer look I realize that they had not vanished, but my eyesight was simply not strong enough to penetrate what lay in the distance.

        An uneasy feeling washed over me as I stood between these two train tracks.  As I gazed into the future I could not see very far and I kept wondering if something bad was about to come screaming around the corner and greet me head on.  As I looked into the confusion vapor that lay before me all I could see filled me with fear.  Anxiety whispered into my ear and said, the unknown is scary and your future looks bleak. 

        Many people are upset because they do not know what tomorrow holds.  That is the problem with the future; we can not predict it until it has already happened.  So we either worry about the future, fear the future, pretend tomorrow will never come or we can prepare for the future.  It is bad enough that we know our past; I am thankful that I do not know my future.  Because if I knew what good fortune was coming my way, it would make me lazy, complacent and self-satisfied.  If I knew what misfortune and trouble I would experience it might cripple my life with anxiety or paralyze me with fear. 

        One of the kindest things the Lord ever did was to put a curtain over tomorrow.  No big deal that we do not know what tomorrow holds as long as we know the one who holds tomorrow.  Are you apprehensive about your future?  Are you afraid of what might happen tomorrow?  You can enjoy a meaningful life and a breathtaking future if you start by taking a firm grip on the present.  The best preparation for the future is to live fully today.  Choose to live a life characterized by faith and never fear to step out into the unknown.

Something to think about:

• Where there is no faith in the future, there is no power in the present.

• The future is an opportunity yet unmet, a path yet untraveled, a life yet unlived. But how the future will be lived, what opportunities will be met, what paths traveled, depends on the priorities and purposes of life today.

• Keeping your eye too closely on the future may obscure present opportunities.

• Those who fear the future are likely to fumble the present.

• You can’t change the past, so don’t ruin the present by worrying about the future.

• The future always holds something for the man who keeps his faith in it.

• Faith makes the up-look good, the outlook bright, the in-look favorable, and the future glorious.

• One thing the future can guarantee—anything can happen.

Thankful for the future
Rickey Moore