PART 1
Are you a past, present, or future person?
Past persons look at life through the rear-view mirror. They consider what’s behind them of paramount importance. They filter today and tomorrow through yesterday. They are life’s history majors. Are you a past person?
Present persons look at life through the side window. They consider what’s next to them of paramount importance. They filter yesterday and tomorrow through today. They are life’s daily news reporters. Are you a present person?
Future persons look at life through the windshield. They consider what’s ahead of them of paramount importance. They filter yesterday and today through tomorrow. They are life’s long-range planners. Are you a future person?
Having some trouble identifying yourself? Answering some questions may help.
Do you enjoy looking at old photographs and going to family reunions? Are you a fan of TV reruns? Do you keep up with old friends? Does remembering projects seem more fun than planning or starting them? Is it hard for you to forgive yourself or others? Do you often wish that today was yesterday again? Do you dislike change? If so, you are probably a past person.
Do you enjoy looking at new photographs? Are you often glad it’s today, not yesterday or tomorrow? Do you place a lot of importance on having friends and being a friend? Do you tend to start a project and complete it the same day? Are you a good listener? Do you tend to watch the newest and hottest TV shows? If so, you are probably a present person.
Do you dislike looking at photographs, new or old? Are you a to-do-list keeper, an event planner, a goal setter? Has it been months since you contacted old friends? Do you hate reunions? Is it hard for you to focus on the conversation at hand? Have you been accused of being a dreamer? Do you look forward to tomorrow? If so, you are probably a future person.
Now that you know your time tendency, realize that it is a two-edged sword. It can be used for good or for evil. Commit now to use it wisely.
If you are a past person, accentuate your positive tendencies—loyalty, faithfulness, enduring love, and gratitude—and repress your negative ones, such as lack of forgiveness and resistance to change.
In the same manner, you present people should focus on the good that comes easy to you—completing a task, being a good listener, making new friends—while shunning the bad things that come just as easily, such as living for pleasure and avoiding a legacy.
And we future people (yes, I fit this category) should maximize our bent toward goal-setting, project-starting, and organization and minimize our tendency to procrastinate and to be detached from the conversation at hand.
No matter your particular bent, God should be your strength and source. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is Alpha and Omega (and every letter between). He is the Beginning and End (and the Middle, too). He is Yahweh—“I AM THAT I AM”—forever present in your world and your life.
- If God Is "I AM", then Who Am I? (Day 28)
PART 2
Are you more like Abraham, Moses, or David?
Moses tended to live in the past—always aware of his prior shortcomings, repeatedly using his failures as an excuse. David was inclined to live in the present—writing hymns during times of devotion, falling prey to the temptation of the hour, gathering friends and associates about him, fighting the foe at hand. Abraham was more of a future person—dreaming of a new journey and a new home, focusing on being a blessing to generations to come, sometimes (as with Hagar and Ishmael) taking the future into his own hands.
All three of these men had to become more balanced to accomplish their tasks.
Moses was able to put the past behind him, but this required him to trust God’s provision each day and His promises for tomorrow. David learned to make the most of the present by preparing for tomorrow (the temple was his dream) and remembering his past mistakes. Abraham did become a blessing to future generations, but he did so by remembering God’s divine call and acting it out daily.
So must we try to live a balanced life, giving as equal weight as possible to the before, the now, and the after.
A person who lives entirely in the past becomes stagnant and accomplishes little. He becomes Moses before the Exodus, stuck in the wilderness with no purpose for today or hope for tomorrow. That person needs a burning bush experience that gets him looking forward.
A person who lives entirely in the present becomes short-sighted and lets emotions rule. He becomes David during his affair with Bathsheba, enjoying the present with little regard for his past or his future. That person needs a prophetic utterance that causes him to embrace his heritage and his legacy.
The person who lives only in the future becomes out-of-touch, leaving tasks unfinished and relationships abandoned to start something new. He becomes Abraham sending his son Ishmael away because of the arrival of Isaac on the scene. That person needs to realize that today matters and that what happens in it is the proper foundation for future endeavors.
Of all people in the Bible, Paul had perhaps the most balanced perspective. In many ways he looked like a past person. He often referred to his early years, testifying before Felix and Festus of his life before Christ and his Damascus Road experience. He kept up with past friends and wrote to churches he had started. But he was also a present person, using each day to spread the message of Christ throughout the Roman Empire. And no one can deny that he was future-oriented, always planning ahead. His offering for the Jerusalem church was collected in anticipation of a visit there. His letter to the Roman church mentioned his plans to come and fellowship with them in person. He was always “pressing toward the goal.” Like his Master, nothing would take him off course.
So where are you now? If you find yourself stuck in the past, secluded in the wilderness, paralyzed by your failures, God is not through with you yet. If you are living only for today with little regard for the consequences, God is not pleased with you at all. If you are dreaming your life away with nothing to show for it, God has work for you right now. Determine to live a balanced life for God.
- If God Is "I AM", then Who Am I? (Day 29)
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