We live our lives based on a series of assumptions. Those assumptions are built on our previous life experiences.
For example, we assume a great deal about other drivers. We assume they will stay on their side of the centerline as we fumble with our phone or change the radio station. We assume they will respect a red light as we blow through a green one. We assume pedestrians will stay on the sidewalk as we cruise through a crowded street looking at our GPS.
We order food from people we don’t know and assume it was prepared by someone knowledgeable with clean hands. We board an airplane that has been maintained by strangers and is being flown by strangers-and we take a nap while they transport us at 500 mph to the place they told us we were going.
We send all our money to people we’ve never met who transform it into digital bytes, and we assume it will all work out, and our money will be there when we swipe a piece of plastic or enter a series of numbers on a keypad.
We live our lives based on assumptions.
But I wonder if some of our assumptions, even if based on previous experience, are unhealthy?
We buy the house we can barely afford, assuming our income won’t change. We ignore a rock-star employee, assuming they will stay on our team whether we reward them or not. We choose not to invest our money in a charity or church we care about, assuming other people will. We pass up opportunities for spiritual conversations with those who are asking, assuming there will be time for that later.
We assume our kids will come home from school today. When our wives say, “I’m running to the grocery store…” we assume we will see them again. When a family member or friend says, “I really need to talk,” we assume there will be many opportunities for conversation. When we are planning the big family vacation, we assume we can do it this year or next or two years from now, because nothing will change and everyone will be healthy.
I’m trying to be aware of my assumptions. I want to live in the moment, like Jesus did. I want to pour myself into the relationships around me that matter-as though I will never have another opportunity. I want to go to bed each night with no regrets to how I lived the day.
“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” (Matthew 6:34 The Message)
