FOCUSING ON THE FUTURE by Robert Soto

April 4, 2010

FOCUSING ON THE FUTURE by Robert Soto

I Timothy 4:9-10 "This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe."

Yesterday I had plenty of time to dream and think things out as I worked on the buffalo corral. I looked at everything I have done so far and I looked at what still needs to be done and it brought a peaceful feeling to my heart just to know that the end is near and soon a couple of buffalo will be under my care. So as I worked, I continued to dream and think. I thought of the things I had done in times past and the things I have accomplished. I thought of the good times and the bad times. I thought of the happy times I had with my friends and family and I thought of the bad things or those things that I would have not included in my life and path. I thought of things that I had not thought about in years. I thought of people who I would never see again on this earth. I thought of all my accomplishments and concluded that no matter what had happened, it was okay.

Then I started looking at life and my timeline. I looked at the bad that had happened and how each situation and circumstance that had come my way made me the person I am today. Each situation was a molding process that molded me into the person God the Creator intended me to be. The choices I made, whether good or bad were all part of making me the person I am today. The problem is that in looking back and seeing this whole scope of life, that we may become stagnant and satisfied with the status quo. It becomes a problem as we get older. We start living in the past and the victories of our past and forget that we still have a future to live, regardless of how many days or years we have left. So what should we focus our lives on? Paul wrote, "This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe." Regardless of the future, we focus on God the Creator who holds our future, and let Him keep guiding our lives, regardless of the years we have left.

Robert Soto, Lipan Apache and pastor of:

McAllen Grace Brethren Church
The Native American New Life Center
Chief of Chiefs Christian Church