I recently heard a song by Donovan Woods entitled “Next Year.” It dives into a problem that most of us have. We make all kinds of wonderful plans and dream about when we can accomplish them, next year. The chorus of the song truly made me stop and think.
“Another day down, another week gone
You’re always just talkin’ about tomorrow
You can’t beg, steal, borrow
Or make time
So you make plans and hope for the best
Life moves on so fast
Another twelve months flies on by, you’re still here
But it’s never quite next year
No it’s never quite next year
No it’s never quite next year
It’s never quite next year.”
Next year I will start that diet, next year I will commit myself to the Lord, next year I will go back to school, next year I will think about having children, next year I will make peace with my family, next year I will forgive myself.
In my life, it is never quite next year. If I added up all the plans I’ve made that I have never followed through on, it could fill up a swimming pool. Why do we put off what can be done today for some time in the future? In Matthew 19:26, Jesus tells us that “with God all things are possible.” When we put God smack dab in the middle of our plans, all things are possible.
We as humans have a huge fear of failure. We feel that if we start a new project or try to achieve a new goal in our lives and fall short or stumble along the way, we have failed. That is far from the truth. In my last article I talked about waiting for God to open the door we are to walk through. God will not let you fail. If you keep him the center of all your plans, hopes, and dreams, he will lead you down the correct path and will open the doors for you.
Let’s stop putting things off until next year. Let us commit to making the most of the time we have now. With God’s help, you can stop putting things off until next year. He will help you where you are now to achieve what you need.
This week’s recipe is perfect for a meatless Monday meal. It is packed with protein courtesy of chickpeas. They are delicious and take on the flavor of whatever you put them with. This Mediterranean Chickpea Salad is sure to become a family favorite!
“Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” James 4: 13-17
May 3, 2024
