Facing the future can either be an exciting adventure or a heavy burden. Young people use their imagination to see how they might prepare themselves for a vocation, while those who are close to the end of their professional careers look forward to what is termed retirement. In other situations when illness or age comes our way, we search for what tomorrow will bring.
During my time of ministry, each of these situations has presented itself. It is for this reason pastoring is one of the most fulfilling professions. Remembering the times when visits would take me to homes where the end of life was near, I would take mental notes, because death will surely come to us all. The joy of seeing our youth uncover skills that will be helpful in their future. Observing how those who are employed deal with the daily challenges of work and the search for meaning.
Thank you for allowing me to share in this journey with you. As my life has been blessed, I hope your life has also found inspiration to live in the midst of a difficult time in human history. Where tomorrow takes this society only God knows, but where we are being led as a people of God has already been determined. Let me share with you a prayer written by Thomas Merton found in “Thoughts in Solitude.” Perhaps this prayer will help each of us face our tomorrows.
“My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me, I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will do nothing apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this You will lead me by the right road, though I may not know nothing about it. Therefore, I will trust You always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for You are ever with me, and You will never leave me to face my perils alone.”
Pastor Jerry Greiner