Looking overly long in the rearview mirror, we only gain an oncoming disaster in our front windshield! Our best days as Christians are always ahead. Jesus has promised to return and take us home to be with God! What better future could there be? So let's not get distracted by a nostalgic glorification of the past and a grumpy cynicism about our future. We can thank God for his past blessings, but let's not waste the present moment with pessimism. Let's find joy each day, thank God for his blessings in the present, and commit to redeeming our time, trusting that the same God who raised Jesus from the dead also holds our future in his hands.

Holy God, give me a sense of your purposes and blessings with each new day. I want to have an optimistic outlook about your future for me and anticipate my coming LORD, who will meet me in that future. Please help me live with genuine joy, knowing that no matter where the road leads me today, I will journey with you until Jesus comes and takes me home to be with you. In Jesus' name, I thank you. Amen.