This week I flew into Toronto with my mom. The plan was to go to my brother’s place, attend my nephew’s wedding, visit some people and then fly home. Just before leaving I took a picture of my calendar. Why? Just in case plans changed, at least I would know what I had to rearrange.
Sure enough, I get to Toronto and find out that my uncle is sicker than we thought and a visit turned into a life or death trip to the hospital. My mom and I were the only ones available at the time and ended up making decisions on behalf of his daughter as well as encouraging her to lead him to the Lord once she arrived at the hospital. She shared while yelling in his ear (he is almost deaf) while I whispered behind her words of encouragement and what to say when she got nervous. Afterward, while sitting in the waiting room, a stranger came up and said, “I could hear you all the way out here, and I prayed for you all and cried when he received Christ.” My planned trip turned into 2 weeks.
Today James addresses a passage that we are all guilty of: James 4:13-15 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
This passage certainly is not encouraging us to fly by the seat of our pants. It is not encouraging us to get up each morning with no plans and just see what the day has in store. I had a different uncle who lived that way, and although he enjoyed reading his library book in the park each day, it was only possible because of the hard work of others that paid his way! The principle here is to commit each day to the Lord and let Him guide our day.
If you come across someone who needs a listening ear, don’t be so tied to your schedule that you cannot listen. If you come across someone who needs help to the car with their groceries, don’t be in such a hurry that you can’t take the time to slowly walk to their car with them and unload their grocery cart. And if God calls you to something greater, don’t be so wound up about what does and does not need to get done that you choose the urgent over the important.
Did you know that your house will get dusty after you die? Did you know that you can pick up all the toys but the grandkids/kids are just going to dump them all out of the toybox again a dozen times before the end of the day? Did you know that your boss probably has a list as long as his arm of ‘the next projects’ for you? Often our lives are driven not by the things that are important, but rather the urgent. How would you choose to live this day if you knew that it would be your last?
James was a wise disciple. May we make plans and keep busy but commit our plans to the Lord. May we be in tune enough with Him that when He says, “Hey, over here instead,” that we hear and listen and follow. Don’t miss out on the great plans He has in store for you today.
Our song for today is Trust in You by Lauren Daigle.