Facing Your Future Confidently
Dear Good News Magazine Subscriber,
In the classic movie The Wizard of Oz, young Dorothy is lost in a strange land. She is told that the Wizard of Oz is the only one who can help her get back home. During her journey to find him she meets several characters including the Tin Man, who laments that he doesn't have a heart; the Cowardly Lion, who complains he has no courage; and the Scarecrow, who explains what he'd accomplish if he "only had a brain!"
Aren't we humans a little like the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion? Don't we sometimes fret about the things we could do if only things were different or hadn't turned out a certain way? We tend to highlight our weaknesses and past mistakes. Maybe you have felt that way at times. I certainly have.
Focusing attention on our deficiencies and previous blunders can, however, discourage us from confidently moving forward in life. Not accepting our current situation and placing the spotlight on what we don't have or can't do can impede us from productively using our God-given abilities to grow stronger in personality and character and in serving others.
In a recent interview, actor Michael J. Fox, who battles the crippling and disabling Parkinson's nervous system disease, offered his perspective on facing his condition. "There's no better lesson in loss of control than to have Parkinson's. Because you learn very quickly what you can control and what you can't control. The only answer is to accept it. I do practice those principles every day: acceptance and gratitude" ("Michael J. Fox's Recipe for Happiness," Reader's Digest, May 2010, pp. 78-83).
Good advice. Rather than spending time in regret about what he can no longer do, Mr. Fox bravely accepts his circumstance, lives life to the fullest and faces the future with as much confidence as he possibly can. This forward-looking outlook echoes the apostle Paul's attitude when he wrote, "Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14).
Paul's focus was not on the past but on diligently obeying his Creator and preparing himself and others for eternal life and service in God's coming Kingdom. He applied Jesus Christ's admonition, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).
That, too, is excellent advice for each of us. Just as Jesus and Paul didn't place their complete confidence in the events and goals of this physical life, neither should we. By making our first priority the coming Kingdom, any disappointment and upset we experience can be seen from the right perspective. With that in mind, we can more attentively exercise our talents so that we can grow, learn and do good for other people.
When the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion finally met the Wizard of Oz, he showed them how they had actually displayed the qualities they thought they didn't have as they faced adversity while helping Dorothy return home. We, too, can discover and employ our skills and aptitudes as we boldly and confidently face life's inevitable troubles on our road to the Kingdom of God.
And how can we begin that critical journey? By repenting of our sins, being baptized, receiving the gift of God's Holy Spirit and clinging to Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. (You'll find a biblical explanation of these steps in our free booklet Transforming Your Life: The Process of Conversion.) In doing so, we are given the great promise of an abundant life now and eternal life later in His Kingdom (John 10:10; 2 Peter 1:11).
So let us "lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1). With God's powerful help and guidance, we can face the future with absolute assurance and confidence. Are you ready to begin that marvelous journey? I look forward to seeing you on the road.
Warm regards,
John LaBissoniere
Good News circulation manager
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