Happy New Year – Welcome to 2026!
Where does the time go and how is it that I find myself in the year 2026 already? How did I get here?
Simple; one day at a time.
We are linear beings who are tied to this string called time and pulled ever forward into the future. Are you ready for tomorrow? Well, ready or not, here it comes.
It’s hard to believe that one fourth of the twenty first century is already gone. Where did it go? It slipped past us one day at a time.
I was praying with someone the other day when this same topic came up and there was (not surprisingly) a fear of the future. The person had many questions like “What will happen to my family?”, “What if I die early?” and “What if I don’t make it to heaven?”
All were valid questions.
The Bible tells us over one hundred times to not be afraid[1] and while this is good advice, it doesn’t just tell us not to be afraid, it shows us
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6
This isn’t some trite advice or curt heavenly messaging, it is true – and yes – it is that simple. Trust me, I know.
When I was fired last year after twenty-nine years at General Motors, I and the other five hundred who were let go with me were not given any reason or notice. We simply showed up for work and wondered why our badges no longer let us into the building. Although this was very traumatic and unsettling, I don’t know anyone who didn’t land on their feet and didn’t find another job.
As for me, God had a plan and I was able to turn to the part-time ministry He’d given me into a full-time effort, and God has provided. While it’s true that I’m not making anywhere near the salary I had been making, my wife and I have enough and it is actually quite liberating, exciting (and yes, a little scary) not knowing when or where the money will come from, but it always does.
Worry is misuse of the imagination, and it truly is a waste of your time so here’s my challenge to you. Take the rest of this month. Think of one thing you are worried about and every time you are tempted to worry about it, offer up a prayer instead and see what happens at the end of the month. Don’t worry about how it will get done and don’t tell God how to fix it either, just let go and let Him.
- We can trust Him because He is faithful
- We should trust in Him because the Bible says to
- We must trust Him because we can’t do it ourselves
Think of it this way: the past is something we all know very well because we’ve been there and we can describe it in great detail, yet we can never return there. As for the future, we can try do our best to plan for it, but we can never totally control it. The only thing we truly have is the present. Right here and right now, I am in control and that is all that matters. This is why the here-and-now are so precious and we can’t afford to waste a single moment of the time we have. So don’t waste it!
Do good – and do it now!
Love your neighbor – and do it now!
Don’t just plan to read the Bible, do it – and do it now!
Grow closer to God – and do it now!
In the “Hail Mary” prayer we ask Jesus’ mom to intercede for us to her son and “pray for us now and at the hour of our death”. We don’t control the latter and we always need help with the former.
Jesus taught us to pray “Give us this day our daily bread”. Perhaps this is why God is the great I am and not the great I was or the great I will be.
JK
[1] I know, I know…it’s said that “fear not” appears in the Bible 365 times (once for every day of the year) but that’s an urban legend. There are actually around 140 references to the term “fear not” in the Bible.