Forum Summary: The Future is in God’s Hands
Author: Ryan Price | Student, Living Education – Charlotte 2021/22
Estimated reading time: 2 min.
For the forum this week, Mr. Gaylyn Bonjour addressed the topic of the future, asking, “What are you going to do six months from now?
You don’t know, because you don’t know what the world is going to do.” We face an unknown future, and we don’t always have control over what happens in our lives—but when we involve God, He guides us in the direction we should go.
Mr. Bonjour used the story of Job as an example; he asked, “Do you think Job knew what was going on when he was going through all his trials?” What happens to us isn’t as important as how we handle it—that’s what really counts. Physically speaking, we can’t plan for much in this life. Yet, spiritually, we are gifted with an understanding of God’s plan, and with that, we can prepare for the time to come.
Life’s Unexpected Turns
Life will often take us in directions we don’t expect. Take Moses, for example; he didn’t expect to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. And look at David; he was just a simple shepherd, who couldn’t have known he would become the greatest king that Israel would ever have. Life happens, and we have to make the best of the opportunities that God brings us.
Mr. Bonjour read from an article entitled “Following Christ at Any Stage of Life” by Mr. Davy Crockett III: “Life passes through stages, and our activities and our understandings change with the seasons of life.” As we mature, our perception changes. Things that are important to us when we’re young will likely mean less to us when we’re middle-aged. We are constantly learning, and we are ultimately a product of what we go through. Mr. Crockett’s article continues, “At each stage of life, we learn new lessons that are unique to that phase of our existence. We understand things at age 30 that we could not grasp at age 20.”
Stick with God and Things will Work Out
Sometimes, bad things will happen to us even when we haven’t caused them. There are problems and disappointments in everyone’s life. Yet it’s been said that “character is built in the crucible of adversity.” God allows bad things to happen to us so that we can build His character. We are facing an unstable world, and none of us really know what next year might hold—but if we let God guide us, no matter which way the world goes, we can be confident in His perfect will.