Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Wonder not Worry


Do you ever sit and think about the future? About your children’s future?

Trying to see or predict the future is a big money maker. Remember the infomercials for Psychic Friends Network (if you had a TV in the 90s it was hard to miss)? You could call Dione Warwick’s personal psychic for a reading. The majority of magazines and newspaper have horoscopes, ready to tell us our future for love and life. Have you seen a crystal ball or magic eight ball?

Planning for the future is marketed across the country, especially now with so many families in financial trouble. Every morning talk show has segments about establishing ways to save your money for retirement, homes, or a child’s education. Stay up late and watch TV, every other channel has infomercial about planning for you future.

I find it fun to look at my boys and think about their future “What will they look like as grown-ups?” “Who will they be?” Some days I wonder about a list of things: schools, sports, activities, friends, dating, occupation… It is exciting to know that their whole life in front of them and anything seems possible. I have read Dr. Dobson’s Bringing up Boys a couple of times. The first read had an idea that really resonated with me. We are raising our boys not just to be good little boys but good, no more than that, extraordinary men, husbands, fathers and men of God. We are planning for their future by how we are raising them.

Last week the boys and I stopped to visit a friend who just gave birth to their fourth child. The kids were playing and we had a few moments to sit and talk, a rare and not often granted moment. She has a toddler son with Down syndrome. We were talking about our handicap children and how much they change and shape our lives. They change our thinking. We both found that we think about the future for our children but not Brayden and Peter. We do not think about ten years from now or even a couple years from now. Of course we plan for things but not too far ahead. When we first found out about Brayden's brain abnormalities my thoughts, concerns and worries were all over the place. Thinking about the here and now, the future, the future of our family. That quickly settled but sometimes comes back with an ugly appearance. The Lord protects us for thinking and worrying about it. Honestly that part of my thought process is shut down. I know that it could be too painful to even start heading down that path.

It is fun to wonder about the future but not worry.
“Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself…” Matthew 6:34

1 comment:

Debbie said...

It is fun to think about the surface things...like what our kids will look like, their spouses, their kids etc. But then I wonder what kind of world they are going to be living in given where we are today. Those are the days that I really have to let go and say "I know you have it all under control, Lord, because this is all so much bigger and overwelming to me...and I know you will take care of my babies." So your last statement along with that last verse are what we have to cling to.