who is responsible for the future?

I have recently been exposed to an entire new crop of people who are reaping an ugly harvest as a result of the ugly seeds they have been planting. The crises that these people are experiencing are a result of the bad choices they have made. I don’t mean to be harsh, but rest assured, Justin Timberlake (first and last time I will quote him!) is correct when he says, “what goes around comes around”.

As we head into the new year, and as we are all hoping for some improvements over last year, I begin to ask questions like: “How responsible are we for what happened last year?”, “Are there things we can do now that will make the future better?” and “How long can we get away with blaming others for how our lives are turning out?”.

It is clear, God is sovereign, there are some things in which we have no voice. Life certainly happens, whether or not we like it. Good and bad things happen to good and bad people. But our culture has done an excellent job of convincing us that “it” is not our fault. “It” is the bad things that happen to all of us. “It” is when we aren’t happy or when we have trouble or when someone mistreats us. I am of the opinion that much of “it” is a result of decisions we have made. It is the law of reciprocity. In scripture, it is stated this way: “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.” (Galatians 6:7 NLT)

If you mistreat your loved ones, they will walk away from you.
If you are dishonest and lack integrity, people won’t trust you.
If you abuse substances, you will run short of money and will find yourself in pain.
If you neglect God and ignore His mandates, you will be destroyed by life.

Apply this truth where needed…

We are responsible for the direction of our lives. We certainly cannot dictate all of the details and how everything will turn out, but in general terms, planting good seeds results in a good harvest.

At the beginning of a new year and new century, what are you expecting to happen? What are you doing to make those things happen?

Let’s make a pact. Let’s agree to do the things that will allow us to celebrate one year from today. Let’s do everything we can to make 2010 a good year.