He Holds Our Future

Sitting here in a comfortable chair on a cold and rainy day with so much going on around me I have decided to let my fleeting thoughts going back to as far as my mind can remember. It was just like a movie being rewound and then fastforwarded right in front of my eyes. I am grateful to the God who is so faithful, so awesome and ever loving. What an adventurous and exciting journey with Him thus far!

Life indeed is filled with many exciting and challenging events. Many things in the roads of life have changed right in front of our eyes. A few forks in the road have required us to make some tough decisions to choose a new path; a new unpaved road required a new and higher level of faith and trust in the One who holds our hands.

As I think of the children who were once so young, adorable and innocent now are in elementary schools, and their lives have been filled with a lot of violent scenes and rough environment. They were latched-key kids whose parents were absent many hours after they returned from schools. They were educated by TV and babysitters. They were growing up in the homes filled with lots of video games, gameboys and TV programmings that are more negative than positive.

Then another scene just appeared one after another. The children were growing up so fast. It seems impossible. The children are now young teenagers in junior highs who once upon a time were so nice and polite, yet all of the sudden, changed into monsters, wild and rebellious young people that parents had no ideas who they are any more.

They were exposed to smoking, alcohol, condoms-being passed out at school, illicit sex, and other illegal stuff which may lead to chemical dependency and a life full of trouble later. Truly, the teenage peer pressure is so heavy upon them. They want to fit in a group. They are trying to find out who they are and who their heroes are. They are looking for a role model to follow.

They could be in one instance so nice and polite, but in another instance they could become the worst enemy that you would not want to confront, so explosively violent. They do have access to guns and knifes. They could have been a part of a group or a gang who would protect them from another group.

I had seen those who stole cars, stereos, and things from other homes and some from their own homes to support a drug-used and abused lifestyle or a bad habit. They had to deal with suicide. They had to deal with molestation, rape and abortion; kids raising kids; the drop-outs, no job, who depended on welfare, and foodstamps to raise their kids.

They ditched school. They skipped classes. Some have failed school while others have advanced to higher education. Indeed, some have had trouble early with the law enforcement, and the police has visited them a few times at homes; Some were in jail, in and out so often that they don't even care any more if they would get out and get caught again. I visited a few in prison for a while. Some came home with still a lot of struggles, while others are doing okay with a lot of family and community support.

Then I wonder how your children are doing. Where are they now? Do you know what they are facing right now in their life? What are some changes that you have noticed in your children? Do you notice that you have changed as well? What will the future hold for our children who have grown up so fast nowadays? They have faced numerous problems and challenges everywhere, in school, at home, at work even. Have you prepared them well for the journey ahead? Are they ready to be set free to test their wings upon leaving your nests of safety and protection? I pray that they are. What an awesome responsibility you have to raise them up right for their own sakes and yours and our communities.

There are more things to come. More changes in the forks of the road ahead. Are you ready to face the uncertainty of life. The ever changing fast with so many ups and downs in the global economy which affects us all in one way or another. The moral values, the beliefs and the traditions which have been at the core of our life are changing as well. What values will you decide to keep?

What will you need to change to grow? Growing requires that we must change. Change produces uncertainty, fear and doubt. But without change one cannot grow at all. To stand still in the road of life is to fall behind the river of time. To grow we must take certain risks to venture outside the box of narrow-mindedness and limited thinking or impossible thinking to open-mindedness, rich, unlimited thinking and everything is
possible with God thinking.

What will tomorrow hold for you and me? What would our children turn out to be? Nobody knows. Only God knows. I know that He holds my future and yours in His hand. That's the only assurance we have in this life and in the life to come. We can only pray and raise them up in the way of the Lord and be the best examples for them. We can become their mentors and guides if they have chosen to allow us to journey with them. Even if we may have failed sometimes, God is always there to lead them back to His love.

Some may have messed up their lives, but Jesus will save them and rescue them and clean them up and transform them into persons whom He calls and uses for His glory. Don't lose hope. Don't lose faith in them. Don't blame yourselves and live with regrets. Learn your lessons and move forward with God's help set good and Godly examples before them. They are watching you and me right now.

Have you ever wondered what would life be without God in our lives? It would be meaningless, and it would be unfruitful. Indeed, the void in life would never be filled satisfatorily and completely with illegal drugs, with excessive use of alcohol and toxic drinks, with sexual compulsiveness or any kind of addiction. Even religions cannot, even in their purest sense would not be able to fill the void and empty space in our hearts and our souls. The schools may have failed our children and us in some cases. Man does fail us. But God never ever fails us.

Indeed, we can trust God and teach our children to trust God who holds our future and theirs. We can call on the name of Jesus and be saved. Only Jesus can save our children. Only God can deliver us from our bondage, from our fear and doubt. Only the Holy Spirit can empower us to live a victorious life, a fruitful and effective life.

Let's draw closer to Him today. Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you. We surely will discover the joy of living by having our faith and placing our trust in the One who holds our future in the palm of His hand.

Remember, He already has carved your names and mine in His hand. We are the apples of His eyes. He loves us dearly. So rest assure in Him, the One who feeds the sparrow, the One who clothes the lily of the fields with splendid colors, the One who counts your hairs is the One you and I can rely on for the rest of our life and throughout eternity.

Trust God. He is good all the time.
Pastor Linh