Christian Living

IS IT HINDSIGHT OR FORESIGHT

by Charles (Chuck) Robey
10/22/15
Free to Share
Author requests article critique

  Message Writer
  Hire Writer

Tweet

"You do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away" (James 4:14).

Which is better, for the child of God,  hindsight or foresight spiritually ?  First, lets us compared the two clichés. It  easier to see and understand situations which have already happened, and we are not promised a future. Nor, can  we comprehend what  will happen in the future. Yes,  life is short but eternity is long.  So we must live every day, for the Lord, as if it is our last (Psalm 9:1-2).

According to God's plan, we will exist forever. God has put us in the universe to stay—either to live in His will or ours. Which will it be ?  Oh, to be a faithful steward of the breath God has given us. For we all are but a heart beat from eternity. The scripture gives three important testimonial passages.  We need to “Redeem the time” (Ephesians 5:16 ). "Be good  stewards" (1 Corinthians 4:2). "And "Live in God's grace" (1 Corinthians 15:10 ).

Yes,  God means for our lives on earth to count for something significant. Paul said, “In the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain” (Philippians 2:16). In the same way, I have good hope from the Lord that my “labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Growing up as a small child I had many good hindsight memories. I always liked it when Mom gave me praise. "You cleaned you room good, son". Or, "you did a good job picking up your toys". And guess what ? That supper ego boaster had carried over to my adulthood. Yes, we all like to be praised. So, why not our Heavenly Father. After all, it was He who made us in His image (Genesis 1:27).  And it is He who saved us from an eternity of torment, by His free grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).

So, let's look ahead, to praising to our heavenly Father. This mindset will not only prove exciting, but it will challenge us to leave old paths of the human heart  behind  and reach for something beyond ourselves, giving ourselves up to God, whatever the circumstance may be (1 Thess5:16-18).

You see, God never leaves us where we are. With every effort we make to draw closer to Him, we're promised He will come closer to us (James4:8). Thus, foresight for the Christian,  can and will be better than our hindsight. For God has already given the victory (Exodus 15:2-3).

Praising God should always be the priority of our daily lives.  Praise is simply a part of our worship of the Almighty God. We express our approval, thankfulness, and respect for Almighty God by offering praises to Him. This kind of thankfulness then becomes part of our worship of the Great God. In our worship of God, we show our love through obeying His commandments, living the way of life He has revealed through His written word, the Bible, communicating with Him in prayer, meeting and fellowshipping with other believers, and in offering thanks to Him.

So, in conclusion, hindsight tends to emphasis the value of experience. Whereas, foresight  tends to emphasis possibilities.  From a goodly perspective, we should learn from our past mistakes (1 John 1:9),  in order to press onward in the Lord (Philippians 3:14).

One thing to remember. We Christians do  tend to make many mistakes, some more costly than others. We all say things we shouldn't say. The truth is we are all human, and no matter where we are in our Christian walk, we will all make mistakes. If you want to know how to best deal with mistakes, there's no better place to look then scripture (2 Timothy 3:16)

Amen !.

Author's Post Script

I once heard the famous football coach,  Paul (Bear) Bryant,  quote this poem.  I don't know the originator of this poem, but it surely hits the spot.  It proves the better of the two insights. So, which one do you like, "hindsight" or "foresight". As for me, I like a mixture of both.

Today Is The Very First Day Of The Rest Of Your Life

This is the beginning of a new day.
I have been given this day
to use as I WILL.
I can waste it...
or use it for good,
But what I do today is important,
Because I am exchanging
a day of my life for it!
When tomorrow comes,
this day will be gone forever,
Leaving in its place
something that I have traded for it.
I want it to be gain,
and not loss;
Good and not evil;
success and not failure;
In order that I shall not regret
the price I have paid for it.
I will try just for today,
for you never fail until you stop trying.