Why God Didn’t Make Us Groundhogs

Along with being Super Bowl Sunday, tomorrow is also Groundhog Day. Supposedly a groundhog is able to forecast the change of seasons based on whether he sees his shadow. A shadow means six more weeks of winter. No shadow means spring is upon us.

How would you like to be able to predict the next six weeks – the good and the bad, the pretty and the ugly events that lie ahead?

Unless you’re a prophet with a unique spiritual gift (those types might be out there, but I don’t know any), you can’t see six weeks into the future with absolute certainty. Apparently that’s the way God intends it.

The Lord’s Prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread.” God provides for the needs of today. Each day is a new day to trust God.

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” (Proverbs 27:1 ESV) Our prideful selves couldn’t handle too much knowledge about the future.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34 NIV) This is the opposite of the previous verse – rather than becoming prideful about the blessings of tomorrow, with too much future knowledge we might become consumed by fear of what’s around the corner. Sometimes ignorance is bliss!

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” (Matthew 24:36 ESV) God has concealed the date of the ultimate future event, Christ’s return, lest we put our hope in our calendars instead of trusting in Him alone.

Two popular sayings that come to mind:

1. God calls Himself I AM. Not I WAS or I WILL BE. He is the Lord of now, the sovereign of this moment in your life. He doesn’t reside only in the past. He isn’t awaiting only in the future. He fills all times and places, including and especially right now!

2. It’s called the “present” for a reason. Today is God’s present – His gift – to you. Make the most of it!

So often our minds can be somewhere else – stuck in the past or worrying about the future. The best version of “you” is when you’re present, engaged, invested in those right in front of you.

Don’t miss the moment.

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