Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths.
- Psalm 25:4
Sometimes I freeze food.
I'll make a double batch of chili or something, and I freeze the half we don't eat. I always laugh and say, "Your welcome, future self." And, when we eat that chili weeks later, I laugh and literally say out loud, "Thank you, past self."
I know. I'm a total weirdo. Feel free to judge.
I do it all of the time though, thanking my past self for changing the roll of TP, or thinking about how much my future self will love me for putting gas in the car when I know I have an early morning the next day. I just get a kick out of thinking about my future self and my past self as if they aren't somehow me at all, but a benevolent patron and a deserving beneficiary.
Sadly though, it's not always roses. There are times that I loathe my past self. There are nights when I know my future self is going to hate me for sacrificing tomorrow’s energy on the alter of a late night movie. You see, my every current decision has an effect on my future self. I have the power to work good or wreak havoc on my own self by how I live out my life right now.
But, let's get real. There are bigger things in life than toilet paper and a full tank. We make decisions every day that truly affect the trajectory of our lives. Right now, we have the power to create patterns for good or ill that our future selves will either rejoice over or regret. Right now, we have the ability to start something, or recommit to something that will impact all of our tomorrows.
But what is it? If God were to tell you to do something for the good of your own future self, would you do it? What if it was something simple, like reading your Bible for ten minutes a day, or praying for guidance every morning before your feet hit the floor?
God has a way that he wants you to live, a path for you to walk in right now, in this season of your life. Ask him to show you, and get going. Your future self will thank you.
What's one thing you could do to bless your "future self" today?
What pattern might God be calling you to establish for your own good?
