Keep On Keeping On

Things can feel overwhelming at times. New school year. New season. Maybe a new job or task list. Everything seems to be piling up. Or maybe you just started to check out the to-do list after you forgot about it for the summer. And don’t even think about looking ahead to the future. That’s just too much. So what do we do when it all just feels like too much? As the old adage goes, we keep on keeping on. The world will still turn. The sun will come up tomorrow. And we will get up with another sunrise to begin a new day. But how we go about that day matters. Sure, we can just put our heads down and trudge through it all. Hoping that we won’t be seen, called on, or detoured too much from the endless list. We can just stick to our own wants and needs because that seems to be more than we can handle. But the truth is, as believers, we’re called to more. The life we live today truly matters. How we go about each 24 hour cycle has a purpose. Jesus has told us there will be an end to all of this. And in that space between we’re supposed to live differently.

Toward the end of his life, King David looked back on all that he had done and wrote these words. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him (Psalm 37:3-7a NIV).

We’re called to more in this life than to keep on keeping on. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but we do know who holds tomorrow. The temptation we face when we don’t know what’s ahead is to try and figure everything out. We try to make a clear path so we know what to expect. However, biblical faith isn’t about having the correct answer all the time or burying our heads in the sand hoping to make it through. Sometimes it’s choosing to trust the character of God to fulfill His promises when we don’t know the plan ahead. The reality we have as believers is that uncertainty about tomorrow doesn’t excuse unfaithfulness today. David says to keep doing good. You don’t have to know what God’s up to next to know what He’s asking you to do today. Love somebody. Serve somebody. Forgive somebody. Do your work faithfully. Pray. Worship. Be generous. Encourage someone. Keep doing what you know is right today. And wait patiently for what He will call you to do next.

Keep in mind though that waiting isn't about doing nothing. Waiting is continuing to trust while God works in ways we can’t see. Faithfulness in trusting God and doing good doesn’t require us knowing or seeing the full picture. It only requires us to take the next faithful step forward. Maybe you’re in the unknown this week. Uncertain of what’s to come or unsure which way to go. Many of us are there. It can be stressful and maybe a little scary. But we have a hope deeper than the fear today. We don't know what tomorrow holds. We don't know how everything will work out. We don't know when the answer will come. But we know what we can do today. Trust God. Do good. Wait patiently. And keep standing.