Predictions

This was the last day I could get health screening done at the senior center, so I was anxious to see what some of my numbers were. Especially the cholesterol and bone density numbers. One was borderline, but the other was across the border, so to speak. After just having a fracture, I was encouraged by the number for that. But do I really want heart disease instead?

I was thinking today about predictions for people's lives. The health screens help predict medical problems we might have in the future. And that doesn't seem so bad. I can live with that and adjust my lifestyle to better my chances.

But as I drove past the train station today, I was reminded of Dean's brother and sister-in-law's visit from Idaho a couple of summers ago. It was so sad to say good-bye to them, and think it might be our last visit. But Dale was the healthiest of us all. Who would have expected it was our final good-bye to him and that he would die in a tragic semi accident two years later?

God holds back knowledge of the future for our individual lives out of mercy. Those who seek out fortunetellers or search their horoscopes are not getting their information from our Heavenly Father. It's just not the way He operates. God does open the future at times to help prepare His people for events, but His purpose is to protect us, not alarm us. The Bible is the only safe place to find predictions. Praise God He reveals all we really need to know.

Our Case Manager

With the holidays winding down, there's more time for relaxation and reflection, at least in our household. I've been looking back at my life, compared to the last year or two, and sadly, I can see changes that point to increased dementia in my husband. I don't want to recognize the signs, but they are glaringly present, and must be addressed and dealt with. These are not pleasant observations, but necessary ones for the ongoing task of caregiving for him.

Fortunately, God is in the caregiving business too, and His omniscience allows Him to constantly assess our situations and needs. We don't know the future, but this wise and all-powerful God does, and it's much less daunting for me to know that He is "on the watch". We couldn't have a better "case manager."

I pray that all my loved ones will allow God to orchestrate their lives. And He graciously does just that, when we totally and unconditionally surrender our lives to Him for that purpose. Don't wait another day to give Him the "reins" of your life. He will steer you through the roughest waters. It may be a rough ride, but He will see you all the way to our destination with Him, where all the worries in this life will fade into nothingness.