Count Your Blessings #35 – Looking Forward

Like many of us I have a tendency to be looking back at life sometimes reminiscing in a nice warm glowing way but more often than not I’m worrying about something that has already happened. It is, therefore, great to have something to look forward to. I have tried at different times to consciously think of something to look forward to but that has proved to be a false thing and is no substitute for having something that I can really look forward to.

Last week I spent all week looking forward to Friday. Not because Friday is the end of the working week, but because Dave, Nina, Sue and myself had managed to book a days holiday together. But this was no ordinary day of relaxation, we had booked this as a Quiet Day. We have done planned quiet days with other groups before, we have also done our own quiet day on our own once before. These days are a haven, a place of peace. Now that was something real to look forward to. I have been a bit grouchy and grumpy recently so the thought of a time of peace was just what I needed.

But relying on short term forward looking is no substitute for knowing that there is a longer terms event that is the ultimate goal, the ultimate place of peace, the ultimate day. As a Christian I know that my time on this earth is short compared to my ultimate home in Heaven. Having something near to look forward to is nice, but it really does need to be seen in the light of the ultimate future.

Colossians 1:27: God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple. That is the substance of our Message.