Articles
Future Minded
Future Minded
Thom Vaught
We live in a world full of uncertainty. Without the proper mindset, it is easy to let the chaos around us lead to stress and anxiety. A recent article from Inc magazine addresses how our thinking and attitude toward the future has profound psychological effects. It notes how many focus on future in negative terms because the unpredictability makes us nervous. Others focus have an overly optimistic view of the future thinking only on the positive. Often their life and faith are shaken when trials inevitably come their way. Rather than either of those extremes, psychologists have found people benefit from a more balanced future minded attitude. Prospection, or thinking about the future by exploring both positive and negative outcomes, both decreases anxiety about the unknown and prepares us for when things do not go as we planned.
Like much true wisdom we can find that advice within the pages of our Bibles as well. Throughout history God has instructed His people to plan for the future (Proverbs 16:3, 15:22, 21:5). However, there are warnings throughout scripture that things will not always go according to our plans (Proverbs 19:21; James 4:13-15). This added realism encourages us to also understand that our plans may not work out as we plan and we should be prepared for these circumstances. Finally, our Lord has instructed us to boldly step into the future with confidence rather than anxiety (Luke 12:22-32; Romans 8:28-39; Philippians 4:4-7). Sometimes we find ourselves in the midst of trials and it is hard to imagine a brighter future. Other times, things are going so well that it is hard to imagine the difficulties we are going to face. Let us approach the future as God has advised by imagining the possibilities both positive and negative. We should plan for the future with a confidence knowing that our Lord is working in this world. Because He is in control, we can place our anxiety about the unknown at God’s feet because nothing in this world has the power to separate us from Him.
