“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making plans.”
In the past few weeks things have been pretty crazy
for me. Around the office we’ve been working on getting prepared for a Trainers
Training, set to begin tomorrow night and go through Sunday morning. We’re
getting all of the lesson plans together, trying to get all of the equipment we
need for the weekend, and brainstorming on how we can make World Race and Real
Life training camps more effective in the future. We’re really excited to see
what is going to come out of this time of innovation, growth, and community.
There is a lot of work to do for this-shopping, getting vehicles prepared,
set-up for lodging, etc.- but there are a lot more things to get done besides
just this one event. At the end of May we will have World Race training camp
for approximately 180 men and women! That is a massive amount of people to
transport around, feed, and house, but God is faithful and He’s working out
some great opportunities for us to make this work.
Amidst all of the practical to-do lists, the meetings,
the phone calls, and the paperwork, there is still a piece of my mind that is
not as focused on these things.
Matthew 6:34 says, “Do
not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow has worries of its own.” I don’t
know how much God is telling us not to think
about the future, but just that we should not worry about it. Right? Then of course if we start to think about the future, all of the factors
and issues and details come into play and we begin to worry about what it is we should actually be doing in the future,
what we need to do now to get to the future,
and so on.
Have you ever been in one of those long tunnels
through the 
mountains you drive through every time you go to grandma’s house-
the one where you hold your breath for as long as you can to see if you can hold
it through the entire tunnel? Or at least you puff your cheeks out and pretend
you’re holding your breath so that you can “win” the competition against your
sister. Well as you’re driving through the dark tunnel, fluorescent lights
flashing by every so often, you feel like the tunnel is never going to end, as
if you will have to hold your breath forever, and you will never get that
relief of the exhale and that new, wonderfully fulfilling breath of fresh air. You
may even be able to see the pinhole spot of light at the end that you will
drive out of one day. And you would give anything you could to get through that
opening. You do not care about what the sides of the walls look like, nor what
is even in the car with you- music, friends, family- you just want to get out
of the tunnel.
Is this what life is like? Just an endless tunnel of
darkness and the occasional glimpse at the end of it all? It’s possible that
this is what a lot of religious people see when they think about life. As they
grow up, things aren’t too bad. But as they get older they realize they are
getting deeper into the dark tunnel of life and the only thing keeping them
going is the light at the end- Heaven! They see a light coming up real close.
It’s not the daylight, it’s only one of the dim fluorescent lights on the wall,
but at least it’s something- paycheck, car, vacation. But there is no
satisfaction through the tunnel, just little things to get them by until the
end of the tunnel… I am not convinced this is how God wants us to look at life…
The woods are a fascinating place. I went hiking last
fall with my family in Pennsylvania, and we had the chance to look off the top
of this little mountain down into a valley. It was so great to see the birds
flying below where we were standing, to see the cool rock formations at the
bottom of the cliff we stood on. But it was not just the lookout that was
fulfilling. The very rocks we 
stood on were interesting to look at, the bugs
crawling around, the bright-colored plants growing out of them. And best of
all, I had my family there with me. I could talk about the beauty around us
with my sisters, my nephew, and my parents. We shared in God’s creation and we
weren’t worried about trying to get anywhere. We just wanted to enjoy where we
were, what was around us, and who we were with.
It is so easy to get worried about the future and
think about how all of the factors and concerns are going to get in the way of
where we want to be tomorrow. But God is asking us to just enjoy being with
Him. He wants to show us all of the beauty He has created and wants to show us
all of the amazing things He has placed all around us. Take a look around and
think about what sort of things God has put in your life, as simple as they may
be. A bright, sunny day. A cup of coffee. A smile from a stranger. A granddaughter.
A friend who is willing to listen. A family that looks after you.
Do not worry about tomorrow. Take a look at today and
see the beautiful place God has put you in.
Thanks for reading.
