Written by Calvin Sodestrom

I have found that a lot of conversations during our college career focus on the future.

“What will you do with your life? Where do you want to go? When would you like to be married?” are just some examples of future focused questions.

I especially noticed this as I neared the end of working 10 weeks at summer camp. During the last two weeks, the main topic of conversation between staff members was whether or not we would return for another year of counseling. Some staff members would boldly state that they were definitely returning, while others were a little unsure. I began to entertain the thought of stating my plans when I was quickly reminded that I had nine months of life between the end of camp and a new summer.

Not only that, but who am I to arrogantly declare my future? And yet, I find that we often speak of the future as if it is guaranteed.

Each day has the potential to be our last, but we still act as if our death is far from us.

We are masters of procrastination and self-gratification. We make plans far into the future and set them in stone, never even considering the fact that we may never live to see those plans come to fruition.

Life is not a given, it is a gift.

Thomas a Kempis, a monk from the 14th century, in his book “The Imitation of Christ,” gives us insight on how to live with the constant thought of death.

“In the morning, consider that you may die before night, and when night comes, do not dare to boast yourself of the morrow. Always be ready, and live in such a way that death will never find you unprepared.”

When we understand that death is always at our front door, we can then properly deal with future planning.

Knowing you can die any second can be a daunting thought. If we treat each day as our last, we will begin to take Christ’s call seriously and add action to our faith. We will have a new perspective of the future; we no longer see it as an entitlement, but rather as an amazing gift from God.

We can make plans, still keeping in mind that God is in control, not us. We can then look to the future and attempt to organize it under the guidance of the Lord.

Imagine that you pick up a handful of letters and begin to form words in your hand. When you are content with your creation, you shut your hand tightly, thereby securing your control. Unfortunately for you, if God wants to make some changes to your work, He will disregard your will for His and pry your hand open.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you pick up a handful of letters, arrange them in a way that pleases you, and keep your hand open, when God comes around to make changes, there is less of a fight. You’ve made plans, but if God’s will conflicts with yours, there’s no conflict.

So please, make plans. Planning things is not bad. It’s how we come to treat our plans in light of God’s will that becomes the issue. Always be willing to allow him to arrange your letters as He sees fit.