Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Future

I have this song running through my head from the Sound of Music. I'm sure you have sung it a gazillion times yourself.


What will this day be like... I WONDER.... what will the future bring... I WONDER!!! ..... Then Maria begins to dance around, splash in a fountain and swing her guitar and sing herself happy.


There are so many possibilities! The future is wide open!


When we first came to visit here, while some great guys were unloading our truck, I stood at the door and looked across the street. What I saw was dismal! I began to question God. I began to doubt the wisdom in our decision to move here and became full of despair and fear at what our future held. I began to "wonder" and question. Unlike Maria, I didn't sing myself happy. I sank into the pit of doubt and despondency.


It was raining and this is all I saw...
This is what I could see from my living room window, from my front door, from my kitchen windows... It just looked like something abandoned... something no one cared about.... something either half blown down, or half built...



I felt like this was a picture of our future... I could not help but "wonder"... what will the future bring... lack, half done things, devastation???




I determined in my heart not to look in that direction! I began to tell myself GOOD things and to encourage myself in the LORD. You know, things like, "remember when it seemed nothing was happening and God was working?" or, "remember how sad you were to move away from ___ but God moved you to a better place?" I just kept MAKING myself say and think good things.




After we moved in, we found out about that building. It was not an abandoned half destroyed place - it was a place with a future. It is a dream in progress. It is a project by a local business man to give a place for the youth to gather and learn and enjoy and grow. It is to be a safe haven, a promise for a better life. This man has a dream for the future and what I saw as devastation, is in reality PROMISE!




If we are not careful, we can look at life and people like that. We see the negative and judge according to what WE think, see or feel. The reality is that life is much different, bigger and better than we could ever think or ask.




God's plans are to prosper us and to give us a hope and a future to bring us to an expected end. He wants to direct our paths and lead us in the Way everlasting. When He is through with us, we will not recognize ourselves.


I wonder ... what ELSE am I seeing the wrong way? I think that I will look at things in a new light with an eye toward possibilities and future and not death and destruction.

4 comments:

Elsa said...

As I was reading this I thought,"they (Pastor Steve & Merrie) ought to make it into a children's ministry center"... then I finished reading and was surpirsed with the results. Oh how awesome. You guys have always loved children's ministry. God has now just placed it in your front yard. Ironic yuh??

Merrie said...

The fun thing is to realize (AGAIN) that God really does know what He is doing! Our job is to trust and obey.... (reminds me of another song, now I'll be singing that in my head all day).

the finchers said...

thank you for sharing......it builds my faith that God can take a cracked pot like myself and do amazing things in and through me......and God constantly reminds me that man looks on the outer appearance but HE looks at the heart..........the youth building is so encouraging also.....you see I have a vision for something just like that here where I live...and it reminds me that God is plenty able to move on the hearts of men and women to accomplish HIS will and here on earth.......send us a picture when the building is finished and children arrive

LIFESPEAKER said...

To have someone have such a heart for the kids is wonderful. We tried a game room here. It didn't work. It was my husband and I and very few people, except for "thefinchers" and her friends understood what we wanted to do. God taught us much. I pray this venture will be blessed.