When you think about the future do you think it will be better or worse than now?
If we were just basing our opinions on movies we would have to believe the future is a terrible place.
Think about the picture painted for us in futuristic movies:
-We’ve run of water and we’re killing for it
-Our technology is trying to kill us
-We’ve brought back an alien life form that’s trying to kill us
-A weaponized virus has been unleashed on the world killing most of the population
-Nuclear war has killed most of the population and the survivors are forced to evacuate the planet
Bottom line…the future is really, really bad! I couldn’t think of a single futuristic movie where life is better than now. I think it’s a reflection of our general outlook of fear and not hope.
How do you view your own future?
Is it ruled by fears of…getting cancer, losing your job, affording college, being single forever, caring for an aging parent, your spouse leaving you, or your kids getting addicted to heroin?
Just reading those things can make us feel like the room is closing in and we can’t breathe! Where is the Xanax?
Do you know what makes us fearful? It isn’t the information we have it’s our imagination.
The doctor said she wants to run more tests and instantly our imagination goes to the worst case scenario. We picture ourselves dying a gruesome death before our kid’s wedding and never meeting our grandchildren. But the only information we really have is that the doctor wants to run more tests.
I remember when our daughter was just a couple of months old our pediatrician wanted her to see a specialist because he thought her hips were too tight. I didn’t know that was something to even be concerned about. He gave me the name of the potential issue he wanted us to have checked out. He reassured me that it was probably nothing, but he still wanted a specialist to double check.
All the way home I imagined a dozen possible futures and they were all worse than the one I was currently living. The first thing I did when I arrived home was to go into research mode on WebMD…bad idea! Now, I was convinced of the worst possible future!
After a couple of weeks of agony it turned out to be nothing. When we had the follow up appointment with the pediatrician he told us he always refers infants who are the slightest bit tight because he missed it once before. It haunted him over 25 years later.
My imagination not my information got the best of me.
It’s easy to do…
Someone in another division at work says layoffs are coming and we imagine ourselves living under a bridge. The information wasn’t from a department head, VP, or the CEO it was just idle chatter.
Or maybe your spouse expresses a desire for marriage counseling and you imagine yourself as a single parent trying to support two places.
Our imagination has made us fearful, not our information.
The more creative you are the more you’ll have to watch the way you imagine the future. You can envision and worry about scenarios no one else has even thought of. You can look at one piece of information and create an entirely alternative future.
Maybe your spouse goes on a hike with his friends and promises to check in at 5pm but he never calls. 7pm passes and still no word. You’re convinced he’s dead. You start thinking about how you’ll have to sell the house. You wonder how you are going to figure out all of the passwords on the accounts. How are you going to tell your children who are playing innocently in the next room? There’s no point in making dinner tonight because your life is over. The lump that is forming in your throat makes you worry that it’s stage 4 cancer. The kids will now have to be raised by your mother-in-law and that means your kids will never go to church again.
You’ve gone from one missed phone call to…your spouse is dead, you’re dead, and your kids are atheists.
The more creative you are the more likely your gift can take you to some dark places if left unchecked. Make sure your blessing doesn’t turn into a liability.
What do we do with our imagination? How do we begin to quiet that part of our soul that just comes up with all of these reasons why tomorrow will be worse than today?
Telling yourself to stop worrying doesn’t work. Instead I want you to remember this…
When God’s love for me is clear, my future isn’t ruled by fear.
When we let our imagination run away with us the one thing we forget to account for is how much God loves us. He promises to be with us, guide us, provide for us, and help us. We don’t have to fear because God is near and his love for us is clear.
My son and I were out checking my bees the other day and he saw a giant snake and his first thought was, “Let’s catch it dad.” Now, every dad wants their son to admire them and to think they’re brave and courageous. The problem is I hate snakes! I don’t run towards snakes, I run away from them, especially big ones!
As I cautiously made my way over to the snake I knew it wasn’t poisonous, but I also knew nothing about picking up snakes. I’ve never caught one my entire life…because I always ran the other way. The likelihood of me getting bit was increasing with every step I took toward the anaconda.
I have all of these thoughts running through my mind…What does a snake bite feel like? Does it feel like a bee sting? A snake that size would surely have fangs so maybe it would feel like a dog bite! What happens if my son gets bit? Will my wife kill me? How do you even pick up a snake? Do you pick it up by the tail? Do you grab it by the head? What if I miss and it bites me before I can grab it? Do I have time to watch a YouTube video on how to pick up a snake?
Before I can answer any of them I hear… “Dad I’ve got it cornered!” I’m thinking, “Son, where is your fear?!?”
I decided to go for the head because that’s what I remember the crocodile hunter doing. By this time the snake is coiled up so I try to distract the snake with one hand and then come in from behind with my other hand.
Success!!! I grab this giant snake by the head and it’s going crazy! I can’t tell if the snake is shaking me or I’m shaking it! My son is cheering and begging to hold it!
(Scroll down to the bottom for a picture of this snake!)
Was that a giant snake or what?!?
If you’re like me and don’t like snakes they are all huge!
Why was I so afraid of that snake? My imagination. Why wasn’t my son? Because he knew Dad was there and Dad loved him and would take care of him no matter what happened.
Remember…
WHEN GOD’S LOVE FOR ME IS CLEAR, MY FUTURE ISN’T RULED BY FEAR.
Jesus’ disciples faced an uncertain future. They could sense their future was about to significantly change primarily because Jesus was telling them it would. He was saying things like…I’m going to prepare a place for you…No longer will you see me…You are going to go through pain like childbirth, but then you will have great joy…I will go away, but I will send the comforter…It’s for your benefit that I will go away.
If I was a disciple I couldn’t imagine any future without Jesus which would be a good one.
They were confused about what Jesus was saying about their future. How could they have grasp what was about to happen in the next 72 hours with Jesus’ arrest, crucifixion, and then the resurrection?
Notice how Jesus prepares them for their changing future. His whole conversation about their future is bookended with one idea. Notice how Jesus starts the conversation and how he ends it.
Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. -John 14:1 NLT
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. -John 16:33 NLT
Jesus was telling them they don’t have to be afraid and you don’t either! You’re a child of God!
Just as my son chased down a snake with boldness because he knew dad was with him, you can face whatever the future holds because you Heavenly Father’s love for you is clear. It was clearly demonstrated for us in Jesus.
The next time you find your imagination running away with future…stop and remind yourself of how much God loves you because…
When God’s love for me is clear, my future isn’t ruled by fear.
