Prepare Yourself Today for Tomorrow
Although we can't predict the future, we can still prepare for it today.
Don't you sometimes wish you could predict the future? I know this ability would definitely help me prepare a lot better for what's to come in my life. But alas, we can't predict the future and perhaps that's for the best anyway. Do I really want to know what's going to happen to me? Maybe not.
To some degree, we can anticipate the future and prepare ourselves in advance for it. We do it all the time through careful planning of our days, weeks, and months. But this kind of anticipating the future can only go so far. Life may throw you something that's totally unexpected—something you completely never thought would happen to you. You might experience financial fallout, a physical injury or illness, losing your job, or being in a broken relationship. These are things we don't usually expect to happen. There is no telling exactly what the future will hold. However, we do know who holds the future: God. We can trust God at all times to take care of our todays and tomorrows because He is absolutely in control of everything.
Although we can't predict the future, we can still prepare for it today. There is no excuse for us not to do what we can today to prepare our minds, hearts, and character for what will come tomorrow. And the best way to prepare for the future is through our daily spiritual disciplines: prayer, reading Scripture, contemplation, worship, etc. These spiritual practices help us to stay connected to Christ every single day. And being in a strong and healthy relationship with God is the best way to prepare ourselves for anything that will come our way. Only Christ knows what the future holds. So, why not stay closely connected to the One who knows the future so that you can be ready for it? Since Jesus knows what will happen tomorrow, He is the person who is in the best position to help us prepare for it today. Let Jesus lead the development of your mind, heart, and character so that you're able to respond wisely and appropriately to anything that may come in the future.
I know my daily times with the Lord in prayer and meditation aren't only helpful for me today. They definitely speak into my life right now. But oftentimes, they're preparing me for something that will happen down the road in my life. For example, some of the Scripture verses I'm memorizing today aren't necessarily useful for this particular moment in time. Sometimes, they're being stored up in my heart for another day when something more relevant happens to me. But I'm constantly preparing myself today through Scripture meditation and memorization so that I can have these verses ready for when the time comes that I'm going to need them. All the spiritual disciplines I’m engaging in are helping me prepare today for the things that may possibly happen tomorrow.
You can't predict what will happen tomorrow. But you can prepare for it today through your daily spiritual disciplines. You will be glad you did when the time comes.
Barnabas the Monastic
Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.
