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Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
- James 4:14
One potential benefit of this past year is that it has caused a good deal of self-reflection and contemplation. When life as we knew it was put on hold, I know it caused me to think about the plans and way of living that I took for granted. James is certainly correct here in stating that I do not even know what will happen tomorrow. I did not see this coming. Was I being arrogant and boastful to have been confident in my plans? I know better than to make concrete plans about going places at certain times now, but 2020 did not quite cure me of my arrogant schemes.
Of course it is necessary to make plans. The problem that James is addressing here is not simply with planning. The problem is with the posture with which we hold our plans. When we correct our posture toward God, we gain the correct mindset with which to make plans.
Take teaching for instance. Teaching would be quite difficult without first creating a plan. I know I need to teach certain material, I need to follow a particular time schedule, I need to be in certain places at certain times, and I plan to pay my bills with the money I make from executing these plans. But I am often arrogant in my planning, and usually without realizing it. I can find it difficult to adjust to changes, and I am disappointed when things don’t go as planned. The only reason is because I have an expectation that things should go as I have planned them to go.
But God commands that I make these plans while considering that I am vapor. Vapor does not decide where to go. It simply is and then is not. I don’t know whether I’ll make it to tomorrow, because I’m not in control. Considering my position in life and who actually is in control will affect my willingness to accept what God has in store for me when it is, and especially when it’s not, a part of my plan. If every idea I had began with “If it is God’s will…” then I would be less impatient and frustrated when things don’t go as expected, which happens a lot as a teacher, and as a human, and especially in 2020. When we assume a posture of submission, the plans we make might not change, but our attitudes will. James is advising us more about a mindset than a course of action. It’s not about what we do as long as we are considering the reality of our life. And this is the reality of our lives: we are not in control. God became man and redeemed us. We are not in control. We are called to live life in response to Jesus’ redeeming work. We are not in control. Plan accordingly.
~ Ally Kornelis