“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
- Jeremiah 29:11
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
- Romans 15:13
I may be getting a little gray around the muzzle, but I’ve noticed something about my human. He spends a lot of time thinking about tomorrow.
Sometimes he sits on the porch and stares off toward the sunset.
Sometimes he talks to the Lord about family, work, and things I don’t fully understand.
The other day I noticed him sitting quietly with his Bible open.
He wasn’t saying much.
Just reading and looking off toward the horizon.
Humans do that sometimes.
They stare at things they can’t quite see yet.
I wandered over and laid my head on his shoe.
He smiled and scratched behind my ears.
“Buddy-boy,” he said, “God’s not finished yet.”
Now, I don’t know much about what he meant.
I don’t know much about calendars or retirement plans.
I can’t tell you what the stock market is doing.
And truth be told, I still haven’t figured out why squirrels are allowed to roam free.
I hear folks worry about tomorrow.
They fret over the news, the economy, the doctor’s report, and all sorts of things that haven’t even happened yet.
But my human keeps reminding me—and himself—that our hope isn’t in circumstances.
Our hope is in Christ.
Because Jesus walked out of that tomb, we know this story ends well.
We know God has a future for His children.
We know that no matter how dark today may seem, the Son is coming up again tomorrow.
And while I was lying there one evening with my head on his shoe, I heard him reading from Jeremiah. “Plans… a future… and a hope.”
That got my old tail thumping.
You see, I don’t spend much time worrying about tomorrow because I trust the one who takes care of me.
Maybe that’s why Jesus told folks to consider the birds. They don’t have barns and savings accounts, but their heavenly Father knows what they need.
Seems to me people sometimes carry tomorrow like a sack of rocks when God intended them to carry hope.
My human says hope isn’t wishing things will somehow work out.
Hope is confidence that God is already in tomorrow before we ever arrive.
I may be an old lazy dog, but I’ve learned something lying beside my human all these years.
Hope isn’t wishful thinking.
The future may have twists and turns.
There may be storms, losses, and days when the food bowl seems late getting filled.
But if Jesus has never failed us before, He’s not about to start now.
So today, I’m going to chase my tennis ball, take my nap, and wag my tail. Tomorrow belongs to God, and that’s a mighty good place for it to be.
Keep the Faith… Carpe Diem
