I like to think nobody actually takes these things seriously. That somebody who opened a cookie with the same fortune as the one I found yesterday will not be sitting around and waiting for the phone to ring. And then I remember how many so-called fortune tellers and mediums are still doing business today. How many people are living their lives -- at least in part -- based on some phony readings of the stars (despite the clear, if tiny, warning printed below the headline that such things are not to be taken seriously).
Stock predictions, betting odds, weather forecasts... we plan our lives by trying to find an edge. Trying to figure out Where It's Going, and looking for a way to get there first. We're no longer content to simply rush from point A to point B; now we race ahead to C, D, and beyond, seeking shortcuts to the future.
It's no wonder we're all so stressed out, so buttoned up, so... busy. We find ourselves to wrapped up in staying ahead of what's ahead, that we barely have time to see where we stand in the present, let alone to look back and reflect.
Not that this is anything new, of course, which is maybe why Jesus told us to knock it off:
So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:31-34)
The truth is, we know how the future will turn out, eventually, because God told us so. Scripture is full of prophecy. Fortune tellers will fill your mind with nonsense about your own future: about fame and fortune and whatever else, that may or may not happen. Real prophesy is nothing more or less than the Creator of the Universe telling us what He is going to do.
And as James reminds us, there's a big difference, even between God's plans and our own. You and I can make plans, but be thwarted by weather, by work, by a thousand other distractions. Once God, however, has set His ultimate Will in motion, He must simply act to make it happen.
Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15)
You want an edge on the future? Seek the Will of God, and plan for His Kingdom. He'll take care of your needs. You and I just need to worry about following Him.
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