Be encouraged today to face the future with confidence, knowing that Jesus cares for you and holds every one of your days in His loving hands.
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SHAUNA: This is Shauna on Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. College days are upon us! Lean in now and listen to this great story from Joni about her college aged friend Maggie.
JONI: Most students are already back at college, and this past Sunday at church, we celebrated my pastor’s daughter who’s heading off to Grand Canyon University. Maggie is all packed, ready to go; she’s been through orientation – loves the campus [which is indeed beautiful]. The church family marked this exciting milestone in her life with a yummy cake, and while I was hanging out in the fellowship hall, Maggie’s mother showed me the cutest photo of her daughter’s graduation day from high school, just a month or so ago.
On top of her cap and gown – written right there on the lid of her graduation cap – Maggie had painted Proverbs 31:25. It was really cute with pink appliqué, and it said in bold, glittery letters, “The woman who fears the Lord is clothed with strength and dignity. She laughs without fear of the future.” Now, there’s a confident young woman about to be a university freshman. And I’m so glad that Maggie is already checking out the Christian clubs on campus, and she’s pretty excited about the worship times every week at chapel.
And I smiled when I read those words on the cap, “She laughs without fear of the future.” But it made me think. If you’re going to be able to laugh at the future – you know, view the days to come as bright and hopeful. If you’re going to be glad about the years ahead, you have to possess a healthy fear of the Lord. You’ve got to believe that whatever may come – whatever happy times or hardships are in store – you are going to hold fast to a loving God who you’re convinced is good. A God who does only good toward you. Confidence like that doesn’t allow for any bravado or sense of self-importance, like, “Ho, ho, I’m laughing at the future.” No, a fear of the Lord always breeds humility. It’s the humble person who can smile at the days to come.
So, when I looked at that photo of Proverbs, I had to wonder, do I smile at my future? What if my pain gets worse? Will I have a place to live when Ken Tada passes away? Who will take care of me? Such thoughts could nibble at the edges of my inner peace in Jesus. And I say “could.” But I need to believe, and I have to believe – I must believe – that if my Savior Jesus would die for me, then He certainly is going to take care of me, right? I mean, the kind of person who would die for you has already proven to you that He’s going to bend over backward to take great care of you! It just makes sense. So, I can smile about the days to come. And you can, too. Cast all your anxieties about the future on Him because He cares for you it says in 1 Peter 5. When it comes to the future, your joy and confidence just has to be in Jesus, your Savior, your Lord, the one who has all the future days in His hand.
So, without a hint of bravado or hubris, I join you in holding fast to Jesus Christ, while together we, oh my goodness, laugh with holy abandon at the future; because there is no need to fear for our future days. They are all perfectly planned and held tightly in God’s tender, loving hand!
SHAUNA: And hey, if you know a young person who’s heading off to college, go to joniradio.org and share this program with them, won’t you? Encourage their walk in Christ, just as we encouraged Maggie as she heads off to the Grand Canyon University. And remember the promise of Proverbs 31:25, it’s yours. Be glad, be happy about your future. Jesus died for you friend and that means your future can only be bright.
© Joni and Friends