I’m a Star Trek fan, have been ever since I was a kid. I loved the original series, the Next Generation, all the movies, etc. The sixth Star Trek feature film was called The Undiscovered Country. It was an intriguing title. We find out toward the end of the film, in a heart wrenching speech given by Captain Kirk, that the Undiscovered Country is the future. Many people don’t like the future, it scares them. Others embrace the future and the change it promises as an adventurer setting sail for, well…an undiscovered country.
In many ways, 2011 is an undiscovered country. I have no idea what the next 12 months will bring. There are certain things I am looking forward to and certain things I am not. My wife and I are planning on attending another NASCAR race in the spring and maybe an NFL game in the fall. We are making family vacation plans for the summer because we need to get things booked. My two teenagers are going on mission to the metroplex over Spring Break and I am excited for them. And our church is just five months away from a major renovation of our worship center. I am so excited about all of these things.
But then there are the things I am not looking forward to in 2011. I am not looking forward to the radiation and chemotherapy that my dad will begin tomorrow for his cancer. 2011 will be the biggest challenge of his life and none of us know for sure how things will ultimately go. I am not looking forward to my kids getting older and a year closer to leaving home. There are so many things that are uncertain as I look at the undiscovered country called 2011, but I am certain of two things: 1) there will be surprises, and 2) God is in control.
Surprises equal the joys, sorrows, fears, laughs, pain, and spice of life. God equals hope, comfort, and salvation in all circumstances. I rest knowing that God is out in front of me. He has arrived in the undiscovered country before I have even left the harbor…
So with that knowledge, I am ready to set sail. How about you?
3 comments:
We're praying for your Dad in this process. Seeing my Mom and Wayne go through chemo and radiation was not fun, so I know a little bit of how your're feeling. Praying that your family will see God's grace in new ways during this process.
Thanks, Wayne - we'll take ALL the prayers we can get this year.
It was Kelly who wrote the comment, but we are BOTH praying for y'all!
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