It has been unseasonably warm for the past couple weeks here in Buffalo. Anyone accustomed to the typically frigid temperatures in Upstate New York around this time of year, is a bit thrown off by all the warmth.
I know I am.
Yesterday, the high was 79 degrees. It was absolutely gorgeous outdoors and forecasters are expecting the temperatures to stay in the 70’s all week long.
Although I haven’t heard anyone complaining about the weather, plenty Buffalo residents are wondering what in the world is going on.
We hardly got any snow this winter, which is really bizarre in my city.
And now that it’s officially springtime, I realize how quickly the winter season passed. The blizzard-like conditions I expected, the subzero weather I braced myself for, and the drawn-out winter months I anticipated trudging through, never quite manifested.
It’s already a brand new season and the one I just came out of wasn’t half bad.
Don’t you just love being pleasantly surprised?
You know, all this great weather has me thinking about the importance of not becoming pessimistic based on the predictable patterns of the past. Good things—great things, even—can happen at unexpected times.
But all too often, we grow weary of hoping and believing. In the middle of the journey, we become jaded because nothing seems to be changing. So we accept in our hearts and minds that our history is a perfect depiction of our future.
Though untrue, this myth can be quite easy to believe when all our circumstances validate this line of thinking.
But I’m blogging today to tell you what has happened in the past does not necessarily dictate the present or future in your life. Don’t allow certain repeat occurrences to set a precedent in your mind for how things will go and what tomorrow holds.
No.
Just remind yourself that God holds tomorrow. He is in control. He has the power to speak to seasons, circumstances, and situations, and they must all yield to His authority. To remind you of this truth, I’m stirring Matthew 8:27 NASB into your cup of inspiration. It says, “The men were amazed, and said, ‘What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?’"
When you drink down the contents of your cup today, you’ll be reminded that all power and authority belongs to God. He commands the seas and the seasons; the tides and the times; the weather and the whether … it’s your time for your pleasant surprise.
Don’t ever look in retrospect to determine your future prospects. Only God knows the end from the beginning.
Look to Him.
Now let’s pray.
Father, I thank You for reminding me today that my history does not determine my destiny. I’m grateful for the assurance that You have good things in store for my life, no matter where I come from or what I’ve been through. Please help me not to allow my past to obscure my vision for the future. But teach me, oh God, to trust You in all things and to expect good things as You see fit to bless me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!
