Hey Everyone,
As Christians, we often criticize the world for "living for today". However, I've noticed that in my own Christian life, it often feel like I'm just holding on for a "someday" that always seems too far away.
When I was in my teens and 20's, I used to think, "Well, maybe someday... I'll get married... have a family... raise kids..." And then the years go by... and someday never comes. Yes, I know God can do anything. Yes, I know about Abraham and Sarah having children long past their prime. But the truth is, my ambitions have changed, and I no longer have a desire to raise a family. I'm happier lending support to other parents who are trying to raise their own families.
Because of the situations God has put me in, my sights have now changed. I have a great desire to join and serve in small groups, write letters of support to people, travel as much as possible and talk to all kinds of people about their situations... I see places and causes and activities in the media, in newsletters and on flyers... that I would love to be a part of... But in the back my mind, that old familiar phrase--and piercing twinge of sadness--immediately comes to mind: "Maybe someday..." "OOOHHH, look, a class for pottery or stained glass or crochet!!! Well... maybe someday..." "WOW, this documentary on the UK looks AMAZING!!! Well, maybe someday..." "Lord, I really miss writing inmates but I haven't been able to find a ministry that's a good match for me... Well... maybe someday." "God, I'm really... I mean... I just came home and all I hear are the echoes of my keys as I throw them on the table and it's been like this for years and I'd really like to have someone to talk to but... Well, maybe someday. If it's your will."
And then I always wonder if I should even bother looking at or thinking about such things, because maybe it's just another someday that will never come, and I'm simply wasting (God's) time. I've tried very hard to participate in some things now but as my life currently stands, I am unable to. I have tried to be part of a small group and volunteer team at my church but due to an ever-rotating work schedule, am unable to attend the rehearsals and requirements. And to be perfectly honest, in the leftover time I do have after catching up on everyday life... I'm exhausted.
I often feel as if all I'm living for is a "someday" that, again, may never come, and there is a lot of sadness and emptiness along the way, because I feel like I'm not doing anything, or contributing anything, or even making my own choices in life. The good counsel of "victorious Christian living" tells us that the very pinnacle of our faith as Christians is that "someday" we will get to be with God permanently... and I often tell God, "Lord, is the whole purpose of the Christian life simply living to die? Because that's what it feels like. I know it's your will for us to work and earn a living, but the only sure thing I can count on is dying and being with you. SOMEDAY." Everyone tells us to "share the Gospel with others" and I think to myself, "So... my whole point in living... is telling other people that they too can live of life of trying to strive for a perfection they'll never reach and live long enough to die for a 'someday' in which they, too, can go to heaven..."
To me, at least, life is always about "someday"... which can make all of the "today's", with their never-ending obligations and daily challenges, seem very long and tiresome. I often have thoughts that I could live another 50 years... and in that entire time, I'll always be waiting for "someday's", most of which are completely unknown and certainly not guaranteed.
This passage runs through my mind quite frequently and is something I often pray to God about: Proverbs 13:12 -- "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life."
I always tell God, "Lord, how can one truly live when their hope is constantly deferred?"
What about the rest of you? Do you always feel like you're waiting for "someday"? Has your someday never come, or did God eventually change the desires of your heart?
How do you personally cope with always having your hope deferred?
As Christians, we often criticize the world for "living for today". However, I've noticed that in my own Christian life, it often feel like I'm just holding on for a "someday" that always seems too far away.
When I was in my teens and 20's, I used to think, "Well, maybe someday... I'll get married... have a family... raise kids..." And then the years go by... and someday never comes. Yes, I know God can do anything. Yes, I know about Abraham and Sarah having children long past their prime. But the truth is, my ambitions have changed, and I no longer have a desire to raise a family. I'm happier lending support to other parents who are trying to raise their own families.
Because of the situations God has put me in, my sights have now changed. I have a great desire to join and serve in small groups, write letters of support to people, travel as much as possible and talk to all kinds of people about their situations... I see places and causes and activities in the media, in newsletters and on flyers... that I would love to be a part of... But in the back my mind, that old familiar phrase--and piercing twinge of sadness--immediately comes to mind: "Maybe someday..." "OOOHHH, look, a class for pottery or stained glass or crochet!!! Well... maybe someday..." "WOW, this documentary on the UK looks AMAZING!!! Well, maybe someday..." "Lord, I really miss writing inmates but I haven't been able to find a ministry that's a good match for me... Well... maybe someday." "God, I'm really... I mean... I just came home and all I hear are the echoes of my keys as I throw them on the table and it's been like this for years and I'd really like to have someone to talk to but... Well, maybe someday. If it's your will."
And then I always wonder if I should even bother looking at or thinking about such things, because maybe it's just another someday that will never come, and I'm simply wasting (God's) time. I've tried very hard to participate in some things now but as my life currently stands, I am unable to. I have tried to be part of a small group and volunteer team at my church but due to an ever-rotating work schedule, am unable to attend the rehearsals and requirements. And to be perfectly honest, in the leftover time I do have after catching up on everyday life... I'm exhausted.
I often feel as if all I'm living for is a "someday" that, again, may never come, and there is a lot of sadness and emptiness along the way, because I feel like I'm not doing anything, or contributing anything, or even making my own choices in life. The good counsel of "victorious Christian living" tells us that the very pinnacle of our faith as Christians is that "someday" we will get to be with God permanently... and I often tell God, "Lord, is the whole purpose of the Christian life simply living to die? Because that's what it feels like. I know it's your will for us to work and earn a living, but the only sure thing I can count on is dying and being with you. SOMEDAY." Everyone tells us to "share the Gospel with others" and I think to myself, "So... my whole point in living... is telling other people that they too can live of life of trying to strive for a perfection they'll never reach and live long enough to die for a 'someday' in which they, too, can go to heaven..."
To me, at least, life is always about "someday"... which can make all of the "today's", with their never-ending obligations and daily challenges, seem very long and tiresome. I often have thoughts that I could live another 50 years... and in that entire time, I'll always be waiting for "someday's", most of which are completely unknown and certainly not guaranteed.
This passage runs through my mind quite frequently and is something I often pray to God about: Proverbs 13:12 -- "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life."
I always tell God, "Lord, how can one truly live when their hope is constantly deferred?"
What about the rest of you? Do you always feel like you're waiting for "someday"? Has your someday never come, or did God eventually change the desires of your heart?
How do you personally cope with always having your hope deferred?